Top six summon Maphatsoe after recording urging members to take up arms

The ANC’s uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) president Kebby Maphatsoe was summoned by the ANC’s top six on Monday over an audio recording circulating on social media for members to take up arms.

Speaking to News24 on Monday, Maphatsoe confirmed the meeting saying that it was “fruitful”.

City Press reported that Maphatsoe was heard saying that military vets must fight back with everything at their disposal in defense of its people, freedoms, and the future.

He added that it was time for military vets to fight for their space and defend the gains of the revolution, the publication reported.

“The officials raised their concerns but I also explained that we don’t mean to revolt against the ANC. I told the officials that comrades are getting more disgruntled and that there is growing frustration. Comrades are marching as we have seen in KwaZulu-Natal and more marches are still coming,” he told News24, adding that the meeting came to a fruitful conclusion.

On Monday, TimesLive reported that a group of MKMVA members closed the N12 freeway, east of Johannesburg, to get the ruling party’s attention.

On September 25, members of the MKMVA marched in eThekwini bringing the city to a standstill. The group was joined by the taxi industry camping outside ANC headquarters in the region.

“Comrades in government are not implementing resolutions of the ANC at government. There is no one who is going to fight for us if we don’t fight for ourselves,” the MKMVA president said.

He told News24 the officials decided he should come back with grievances of military vets to ensure that their concerns are being addressed. He said he relayed to the top six that military vets were dissatisfied with government deployees who have “neglected military vets” instead of addressing their concerns.

This comes after News24 reported of an exchange between the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and retired general Maomela “Mojo” Motau after he was said to have invited military generals to a meeting to discuss ANC matters.

The fiery exchanged continued when Motau called for SANDF head General Solly Shoke and deputy defence minister Thabang Makwetla to be removed from their positions.

Motau earlier told News24 there were no posters inviting military personnel to participate in the meeting, however, he vehemently defended their ability to do so, claiming that Shoke’s statement preventing them from doing so was illegal.

He said Shoke and Makwetla should be removed from their roles – this after Makwetla agreed with the SANDF general’s brief and strongly worded statement, saying it was indefensible for members of the force to be involved in party partisan politics, and should never be allowed.

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