Disgruntled Umkhonto weSizwe soldiers in southern Natal ended their 10-day sit-in at the African National Congress’s regional offices in Durban late last week — but none of their demands have been met.
An MK cadre said ANC president Nelson Mandela had adopted a hardline approach at a meeting with dissidents in Johannesburg last Wednesday evening.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the MK cadre said that Mandela ordered the 25 protesting cadres to leave the ANC offices, or risk being forcibly evicted.
According to the MK cadre, Mandela refused to give in to their demand for a monthly stipend of R1000 and a guarantee that they would be incorporated in a new integrated army.
“Some cadres receive money; hold top jobs in MK and would be in senior command positions in the new army. We are just being ignored,” he said.
ANC deputy general-secretary, Jacob Zuma held a lengthy meeting with them on Thursday afternoon and was “approachable and sympathetic”, said the MK cadre. “He promised that our grievances would be discussed at a meeting of the national executive committee. We were not satisfied, but decided to end the sit-in”.
ANC spokesman Carl Niehaus said he could not divulge the contents of “confidential” discussions and it was “unfortunate” that the cadre had decided to do so. He added that the ANC did not have money to assist the returned cadres and believed that the government should “help to re-establish” them inside the country.