Durban - Leaders of Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association(MKMVA) in KwaZulu-Natal say the screening process of members which they are undertaking is to ensure that former members and freedom fighters get the benefits that are due to them.
On Sunday, members of MKMVA in the Moses Mabhida Region held a meeting where it was explained to them why the screening had to be conducted
Chairperson in the Moses Mabhida Region, Babsy Sithole, said the association had noted with concern that people who had not undergone military training in exile were accessing benefits meant for liberation Struggle activists.
Moses Mabhida Region is made up of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas and has one of the highest numbers of MKMVA members.
“This process is going to ensure that only those who fought and were involved in the Struggle will get benefits. We will check every member on where they were trained, the leaders of their units and who were their fellow combatants because we want to sift the chancers out,” said Sithole.
He said that the decision to screen members was agreed to at a recent MKMVA national executive committee meeting after leaders and members had noted that some who were accessing assistance and benefits from the government had not been part of the Struggle.
Sithole added that the screening would be intense and painful as opportunists would be exposed.
“This will not end well for chancers, but it will bring an end to the manipulation of due process by some opportunists who have taken advantage of the system,” Sithole concluded.
The MKMVA leadership in KZN is now set to visit other regions in the province to assess the screening.
Some former combatants have been absorbed in different government divisions serving in different capacities while others have battled to find work, relying on a state pension for survival.