South Africa: Cosatu Is Deeply Alarmed By Reports of SANDF Personnel Not Receiving Their Full Allowances Due
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is deeply alarmed by reports of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel not receiving their full allowances due to them for their international peacekeeping deployments to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is simply intolerable and must be addressed.
Whilst we appreciate that the SANDF is experiencing severe financial constraints, this is not the fault, nor the responsibility of SANDF rank and file members deployed on peacekeeping missions. The way to fund those financial challenges is not by callous Generals pickpocketing corporals dodging bullets and living in abominable conditions in a war zone on their meagre daily allowance.
SANDF personnel are not paid a lot. They volunteer for international peacekeeping missions across the continent in support of the African National Congress led government’s progressive foreign policy objectives of supporting the end to conflicts affecting millions of Africans and thus enabling economies to grow and poverty to be tackled. The expectation of SANDF personnel on these missions is to be fairly compensated for their labour, and risks to life and limb, are not unreasonable. Fourteen SANDF members died in action in the DRC this year alone leaving their families without breadwinners.
It is untenable for SANDF personnel to have their allowances funded by international organisations, such as the United Nations and African Union, to be debited by their Generals. This is a recipe for dissent and instability in our ranks, something no sober military can afford.
SANDF personnel cannot be expected to accept such pilferage when the media reports on international jaunts costing millions of Rands for Generals to galivant around the world like pampered royalty. Allegations of endemic corruption amongst the most senior ranks of the SANDF need to be acted upon. Similarly, the shocking conditions of many of our barracks, both at home and worse on deployment, severely impact upon the morale of our men and women in uniform.
COSATU urges the Minister, Ms. Angie Motshekga, to crack the whip on the delinquent and highly irresponsible Generals responsible for these shameful abuses of SANDF members’ labour rights, as well as reign in the culture of impunity and corruption that has become all too prevalent across the SANDF. The Federation will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Ministry to ensure that these matters are swiflty resolved.
By COSATU.
