DEFENCE FORCE TRAINING FOR ANC YOUTH LEAGUE IRRESPONSIBLE

"The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms. Lindiwe Sisulu's announcement that Julius Malema and the ANC Youth League's Executive Committee will be receiving military training from September next year, smacks of nepotism and sets the danger lights flicking. Malema likes to sing "Kill the Boer" and the question is now whether he will receive training to do be able to do that. Is the Minister prepared to also take in the FF Plus Youth Committee's Executive Management for military training? This decision proves that the Minister and the ANC is totally out of touch with the uncertainties and concerns of white people and are creating further polarization," Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), chief spokesperson on Defence for the Freedom Front Plus says.

"The Minister is abusing her power to make special provision for the training of the ANC Youth League. Thousands of ordinary youths apply annually to voluntary join the Defence Force's Military Skills Development Program (MSDP). Only a restricted number of less than 10 000 candidates are accepted and thousands are turned away because the Defence Force can not afford it. The decision of the Minister is nothing other than special treatment and nepotism. The Minister fools herself if she thinks the ANC youth members will learn discipline, they will be even more arrogant as they think that they are now being empowered and can handle firearms. The Minister has to recall this decision," Groenewald says.

Statement issued by Mr. Pieter Groenewald, Freedom Front Plus Spokesperson: Defence, May 14 2010

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