Media statement by MKMVA concerning the collapse of the so-called all-inclusive MK Unity Conference and the way forward

6 May 2022

It is now a well-known fact that the so-called All Inclusive MK Unity Conference, that was held in East London from the 27th of April until the 30th of April 2022, was a failure and collapsed. Any other narrative that the Conference was supposedly successfully concluded, and that a new structure had been established is a propaganda lie that does not hold up to the facts of the situation. The said Conference was touted as an inclusive unity effort, and thus at the moment when the members of MKMVA officially withdrew from the Conference, it lost its legitimacy and was in fact effectively and officially collapsed.

It was indeed no easy step for the MKMVA members, who were delegates at the Conference, to take the momentous decision to withdraw from the proceedings of the Conference. This decision was based on a careful analysis of the historical background that led to the holding of the Conference in the first instance, as well as concerns about a series of events, and the serious administrative maladministration in the run-up to the Conference, as well as the manner in which the Conference was run for the few hours that it was actually officially sitting.

All of these matters confirmed to the members of MKMVA that this Conference was in fact not the execution of the Resolution of the 54th National Conference of the ANC, that called for an all inclusive process to unite all MK veterans. To the contrary, that the manner in which the Conference came about turned out to be the direct opposite of the letter and spirit of the MK Unity Resolution, and as a consequence culminated in an ill-conceived effort by one faction within the African National Congress (ANC) to hijack MK veterans for their own nefarious factional and divisive purposes. As disciplined MK veterans, who cherish our own legacy and unity, and who take the Resolutions of National Conferences of the ANC very seriously, we could not allow such an aberration to continue and be legitimized.

The road that led to the crossroads that we reached on Saturday, the 30th of April, when the MKMVA members officially withdrew from the Conference, was a long and difficult one. The disciplined and politically mature manner in which MKMVA pursued the unity project must be properly understood, in order to fully appreciate why MKMVA withdrew from the Conference. It is in that context that we first need to look back in order to understand the present juncture.

After the 54th National Conference of the ANC, MKMVA agreed to participate in a unity process that was stipulated by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC. In essence the process of establishing unity in the ranks of MK veterans was placed under the auspices of the Peace and Stability Sub-committee of the ANC NEC, which was initially chaired by ANC National Working Committee (NWC) member, comrade Tony Yengeni.

Although MKMVA is the official and legally established Association representing all MK veterans, we had for the sake giving the unity process a chance to succeed, accepted to be convened in a so-called six-aside engagement with the MK National Council.

This preparedness of MKMVA was extraordinarily generous, because the MK National Council is a parallel structure with no legal standing. MKMVA could easily have refused to do so on the basis of the political illegitimacy and illegality of the MK National Council’s origins, and dubious purpose. However, for the sake of pursuing unity among MK veterans, MKMVA decided to give the six-a-side engagement a chance.

It must be emphasised that this was no easy decision, but discipline and a genuine commitment to pursuing unity among the ranks of MK veterans prevailed. In this regard, we must laud our late MKMVA President, comrade Kebby Maphatsoe, who was deeply committed to unity and took a lead in persuading the MKMVA NEC to give the six-a-side meetings a fair chance. These engagements were also helped along by the even-handed and fair manner in which the then Chair of the Peace and Stability Sub-committee, comrade Tony Yengeni, conducted our engagements.

Unfortunately, when good progress was registered, and the planning to hold an all inclusive unity conference was well in advance, the MK National Council decided to unilaterally withdraw from the six-aside engagements.

This they did, when they realised that the six-a-side meetings, and the resultant Report that was being drawn up by the Peace and Stability Sub-committee, would not result in them taking control of the MK veterans community, which apparently was their intention all along.

This extraordinary ill-disciplined act was sadly entertained by the ANC NEC, and various meetings between MK National Council and the ANC NEC, the ANC Officials and President Ramaphosa ensued, while the leadership of MKMVA was not given a similar audience. Furthermore, the Report of the Peace and Stability NEC Sub-committee was never officially discussed, nor was its content ever shared with the MKMVA NEC.

By the time the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the holding of the MK Unity Conference the waters had already been thoroughly muddied by the clear favoritism that the ANC NEC, and the Officials of the ANC, showed towards the MK National Council.

This situation was worsened by the decision of the ANC to unilaterally disband MKMVA. This was a blatantly illegal attack on our legitimate Association. The weak, and unsuccessful, an attempt by the NEC to create the impression of evenhandedness, when it simultaneously announced the dissolution of MK National Council was neither here nor there. MK National Council never had a legitimate, legal, existence and therefore nothing, in reality, existed to be dissolved, or disbanded.

Although the decision by the ANC NEC to disband MKMVA was totally illegal, we - once again - in disciplined pursuit of unity accepted the establishment of a so-called Steering Committee to organise an All-Inclusive MK Unity Conference. It must be emphasised that right from the beginning it was evident that this Committee was, in terms of its make-up and conduct, prejudiced in favour of those associated with MK National Council, and one particular faction within the ANC.

Nonetheless, we instructed our deployees within the Steering Committee to participate as constructively as possible in order to advance us to the point where an All-Inclusive Unity Conference could be held, wherein good faith we hoped unity - or at least progress towards unity - could be achieved. Sadly this was not to be.

The so-called All-Inclusive Unity Conference turned out to be the exact opposite of what it was purported to be. Right from the start, the conference was a sham and organisational disaster. There were no proper transport arrangements, and accommodation arrangements were a shambles.

Elderly delegates were forced to wait for long hours at transport collection points, and were subjected to journeys of many hours long in inadequately warmed and poorly airconditioned busses. After having been treated in this manner, they were subjected to a protracted and chaotic registration process that literally dragged on for two days.

Once eventually registered the delegates had to, our dismay, find out that there was no transport arranged from the venues where veterans were accommodated to the International Convention Centre (ICC).

It was evident that this organisational chaos, in addition to it being disrespectful to elderly cadres, was also meant to deliberately exhaust comrades so that they could not effectively participate in the conference proceedings. In the process their health and well-being was deliberately put at risk.

This was part of a well-worked out plan to create an overall atmosphere where a proper Conference, with adequate time for democratic engagement would not be possible. It must be noted that the Conference programme and discussion documents were not made available in advance, but only presented at the commencement of the Conference.

A proposed Constitution, which was nothing more than a poorly drafted ‘document of intent’, was tabled without delegates having been able to read and consider it, and attempts were made to force delegates to simply adopt it.

As MKMVA delegates we had absolutely no idea where this draft ‘Constitution’ originated from, and in fact who actually drafted it. Furthermore, as MKMVA delegates we came to the Conference with the understanding that it would be an elective conference.

Yet, we were literally out of the blue told that this was no longer the case, that it was simply a consultative conference, and that a list of names would be presented/proposed to President Ramaphosa for him to decide who would constitute a so-called interim Task Team, that is supposed to lead us.

All of this was done by ANC leaders, and NEC members, who are either not MK veterans at all, or who have in recent years not at all been actively involved in MK veteran matters. They imposed themselves on us and took over. The Conference was supposed to be run by MK veterans for MK Veterans, but instead, we were reduced to becoming mere spectators at our very own Conference.

There were no less than ten ANC NEC members at the Conference, and the conduct of comrade David Mahlobo, and some of the ANC NEC members present, was arrogant in the extreme. They were trying to dictate to us the predetermined outcome of a sham Conference that was stage-managed and decided elsewhere, and without us.

All of this is not only outrageous in its audacity and disrespect for us as MK veterans, but it is also fundamentally against the democratic culture of the ANC and of Umkhonto we Sizwe. There is a basic principle that we have always abided to: Nothing about us, without us! We could never accept such a sham being dictated to us.

We are not sheep who can simply be hoarded into a venue and made to accept what is in an arrogant and high-handed manner imposed on us! If we were to accept such, we would have totally betrayed the African National Congress and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and indeed everything that we have dedicated our lives to as liberation soldiers, and members of our glorious People’s Liberation Army.

Under these terrible circumstances, we as members of MKMVA were left with no other option but to withdraw from that utter shambles of a Conference. As MK veterans, who have dedicated our lives to the liberation struggle, and in the service of the ANC, we are deeply disappointed by the factional conduct of the ANC leadership.

They descended on the so-called MK Unity Conference like vultures with the single intention to continue to divide and destroy our richly cherished legacy and unity. As MK veterans we cannot allow ourselves to be used, abused, and humiliated in this manner. It must be emphasised that the attempts by the ANC NEC to disband MKMVA have throughout been illegal, and the ANC knows this very well. We are well aware that the ANC NEC had received legal advice that it would be illegal, and yet they proceeded in their intentions to carry out an illegal act.

MKMVA is an autonomous Association with its own legal persona and Constitution. We cannot be disbanded by the ANC NEC, and no such dissolution took place. Under the circumstances MKMVA must for the sake of our members - who are in fact all MK veterans - continue to function.

MK veterans are faced with very serious challenges, many of our members are destitute and our rights that are provided for in the Act No. 18, the Military Veterans Act of 2011, are not at all properly granted and administered by the Department of Military Veterans (DMV). As MKMVA we have a duty to address all of these issues urgently, and to take care of the legitimate and urgent needs of our members.

We thus, herewith, announce that MKMVA will proceed to function as the only legal Association of all MK veterans, as set out in our Constitution and with a functional National Executive Committee (NEC), as well as functional and legitimate provincial and regional structures.

Any structure that may try to emerge from the collapsed so-called Unity Conference will have no legitimacy, and is in fact illegal. MKMVA will remain the sole, and only, legal owner of our assets, and we will administer those assets accordingly, and in the interest of the well-being of our members.

MKMVA will embark on a process of engagement with all our members, and MK veterans, throughout the country in order to communicate the historical genesis of this decision, as well as to ensure that we listen to the views of all MK veterans.

Of utmost importance is that we must be sensitive to the very urgent needs of all MK veterans, and ensure that those are properly registered, represented and addressed. In the course of the remainder of this year we will convene a National General Council (NGC), and eventually a National Elective Conference. All of our actions will be informed by, and in full adherence to, our MKMVA Constitution.

Throughout MKMVA will continue to be open to constructive and respectful engagement with the African National Congress. We call on the ANC NEC to respect us as fellow comrades, in the same manner that we respect them.

In doing so we once again plead with the ANC to stop dividing the community of MK veterans, and to stop making us the playing field, and victims, of the deeply ingrained factionalism that has the ANC in a terrible strangle grip.

MKMVA will continue to do everything within our means to work for the salvation of the ANC, and to return our beloved Liberation Movement to a safe place of principled unity, where it will respect and serve all its members without transgressing into factional triumphalism.

As the most advanced cadres of our Liberation Movement, we know that we have a sacred duty to return the ANC to a position where it can once again fulfill its historical role as the Leader of Society. These decisions, that we have announced today, are part of that revolutionary task that we have taken on our shoulders as Liberation Soldiers. We will not rest, nor falter, until we have achieved our objective.

A LUTA CONTINUA!

Issued by Bafana Mahlabe on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of MKMVA, 6 May 2022