There was a campaign to oust former Azanian People’s Liberation Army (Apla) cadres from the SA national defence Force, the Pan Africanist Congress aid on Sunday.
”It has come to the notice of the PAC leadership that there is an orchestrated campaign in the national army to marginalise, harass and finally kick Apla and Mkhonto we Sizwe forces out of the army, especially Apla,” the unsigned statement read. The PAC threatened to open a ”Pandora’s box” regarding the military integration process, begun after the 1994 elections.
The PAC, which held a national executive committee congress at the weekend, resolved to take up the matter with Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota. Should he not heed their call he would be faced with ”a Pandora’s box that will force the process of integrating the statutory and non-statutory forces to start afresh.”
The statement went on to say that ”certain elements within Mkhonto we Sizwe (the now disbanded military wing of the African National Congress) and white soldiers” were involved in this campaign.
PAC leader Stanley Mogoba also revealed that two SANDF generals arrested by the Department of Justice detective unit, the Scorpions, last week on charges of fraud and forgery relating to false educational qualifications were former Apla members.
The generals, Ernest Zwane, who was attached to the SANDF’s legal services, and Petronella Mari, who worked for the human resources department, appeared in the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday.
Zwane was released on R5 000 bail and Mari on R4 000.
Mogoba said the method of their arrest was disproportionate to what they are accused of. The PAC also decried a Scorpions raid on its local government offices in Bloemfontein and their investigations into the actions of PAC MP Maxwell Nemadzivhanani.
”Evil forces will not intimidate us,” the PAC said.
The party also resolved to summon two members to face a disciplinary hearing following statements they made to the media. Mgcwebi Snail and Thabo Manamela would appear before a committee regarding the ”disparaging” comments they had made, in violation of the disciplinary code. – Sapa