DURBAN - The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has called on newly appointed Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise to intervene over the alleged shortage of hygiene material for the army personnel deployed in KwaZulu-Natal.
The army have been deployed to KZN and parts of Gauteng following the unrest and looting last month.
In a letter addressed to the minister dated August 9, the union called on the minister to respond within 48 hours to what it labelled the scandalous neglect of basic hygiene for “our soldiers”.
“Sandu has been unable to establish the reason for this scandalous neglect of basic hygiene for our soldiers; we call on your intervention as the new Minister of Defence to immediately rectify this unacceptable situation. We again reiterate that should no intervention be forthcoming within the next 48 hours of the date of this letter, we shall have no other option in protecting the rights and interests of our members other than resorting to legal action on an urgent basis,” said the union.
Sandu secretary Pikkie Greef said they had been alerted to the shortage of hygiene material, including toilet paper, soap, and hand sanitiser, by their members on Monday this week. He expressed concern over the health of their members amid the pandemic.
“Our position is that it is important to provide hygiene protection to the people entrusted with protecting the country. Given that we have Covid-19, the risk is even greater, and that is why action on the matter should be taken urgently,” Greef told The Mercury.
SANDF spokesperson Brigadier-General Mafi Mgobozi said they were not aware of the shortage of hygiene material for soldiers but they would investigate the matter.
THE MERCURY