I WOULD like to condemn the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu for dismissing soldiers that were involved in the strike action.

I WOULD like to condemn the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu for dismissing soldiers that were involved in the strike action.

I believe this does not help their concern but exacerbates the matter. Of course, I strongly oppose the violent nature of the action by the soldiers who are members of the South African Defence Union.

The issue of a security threat to the nation is a way of bringing in elitist tendencies to try to stop soldiers from fulfilling their right to strike in this democratic country.

How can you dismiss soldiers who are breadwinners and heads of families? This implies that the minister is using dismissal as a political tool to avoid dealing with the general idea of the matter.

I believe the concern of the soldiers, especially related to wages and transformation of the military, are genuine and should be addressed without any radical and irresponsible decision that the minister has taken.

Also, the call that was made by the Umkhonto weSizwe Veterans Association and Apla, the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, of dislodging soldiers from being part of the union is totally out of order and counter-revolutionary.

Each and every worker must belong to a union in this democratic country. And each and every worker, including soldiers and the police who were shooting the soldiers, have the right to belong to a union in this democratic country because they are part of the working class.

Matankana Mothapo

SACP media liaison officer, Cosatu House