Former Struggle soldiers should be compensated

IT IS a disgrace that former soldiers, who went into exile to fight for the liberation of this country, live in squalor and are left to fend for themselves by a free and democratic government.

The work that is being undertaken by the high-level panel on military veterans to take care of the well-being of former soldiers is long overdue.

Earlier this month, the Liberation Struggle War Veterans (LSWV) marched to the Union Buildings to ask President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration to assist former liberation Struggle combatants to be compensated for their sacrifices. The group consists of members of 11 military veterans' associations which include the MKMVA, APLAMVA and AZANLAMVA.

The demands include better living conditions, employment, housing and medical aid.

While it is true that the government's purse is empty, the needs of men and women who sacrificed their youth for the liberation of the country cannot be cast aside.

It is also true that most former liberation combatants live in deplorable conditions, with most of them using their military skills to execute armed robberies and cash-in-transit heists.

As a result of poverty, lack of opportunities and hopelessness, the MKMVA in KwaZulu-Natal has been at the forefront of a campaign aimed at preventing foreigners from doing business in the Durban CBD. Last week, MK veterans joined forces with truck drivers to protest against the employment of foreign truck drivers.

These are clear signs that former soldiers, who have not reaped the rewards of the democratic order, are angry that they have to compete with foreigners for diminishing resources.

The panel should take its responsibilities very seriously. It should come up with practical suggestions of what the government should do to improve the living conditions of former soldiers. It is time they also get to reap the rewards of their sacrifice.