Soldiers' violent protest condemned

"soldiers who joined the protest would be placed on leave without pay" versus "This potentially leaves our military bases unprotected and without sufficient numbers of soldiers available...." Why not confine the transgressors to camp? They were AWOL to start off with and now you're signing their passbooks? Now is not the time to send people on leave. Now is the time to RE-ESTABLISH some military discipline!

I fully agree! If out military is acting like under paid bus drives, that means we might have lost the plot completely...It’s time for some discipline!

AWOL, treason, failed coup attempt? This is what happened and what these so-called soldiers are guilty of.

The event of yesterday day where quite unfortunate however its imported for the general public to understand that soldiers like many other workers are the worst paid public servants.However the so-called leardership should be held liable for any litigation that might follow not the members.Perhaps this members should be carefully in following instruction from such leadership whiles we understand that this soldiers where not aware that the strike was deemed illegal by the Pretoria High Court, probly the so-called leadership failed to inform members in time.

You put them on leave without pay because you are earning huge salalies, what abaout these people that are looking at our national security earning peanuts? I think its time that people need to look at our electoral system, this system if failing us. I mean these ministers have everything look at the these benefits. This is really unfair : • Annual salary for the Minister of Defence and fringe benefits
R1 561 223
• Rent-free house in either Cape Town or Pretoria
• Domestic worker
• Corporate credit card
• Two official cars in Cape Town and Pretoria to the value of R1- million each
• Free government transport for spouses and dependants
• 30 business-class tickets annually for minister and spouse for discretionary use
• First-class international travel for official trips
• Six economy-class tickets annually for children
• Spouses can travel on official trips and enjoy same benefits as ministers
• Use of South African Air Force aircraft
• Free travel on the Blue Train
• Use of VIP lounges at airports
• Private office with 10 staff members including four secretaries
• Official funeral
• Security worth R100 000 a year at private residences
• Free telephone and internet services

Our soldies even public sevants dont have any of the above and when its time to increase thier salaries, you will talk of CPIX but when you incease theirs you dont talk about CPIX. What is worse is that some of these ministers are uneducated. That means if you want to be rich be a politians, dont go to school.

Disgraceful behaviour. Makes SA look even sillier than it already does in the international community. However, the government was quick to condemn them...perhaps it will one day be just as scathing on the Ministerial Handbook that causes them to waste tax payers money on overpaid, under-qualified ANC politicians.

This is just not right. There needs to be more discipline in the military. as much as they can make their demands to government in this way, they should agree on the issue of national pride and image. To this level, which was probably created by the past government, even one would start to believe that the army will not be able to defend the country at any stage of attack by foreign nations. They seem too weak to understand what it takes. the minister is right, this is a serious threat to national security and enemies are already making moves to capitalize on this. Shame on these guys who did this,,,,

This odd culture of protests degenerating into violence has a long standing history - in most cases organizers got away by simply blaming "criminal elements". The Defence Force, the very epitome of discipline, lost all credibility with their disgraceful conduct. Clearly the union must be held accountable for its members’ actions and must be made to pay for damage caused.

These men were not conscripts. They chose a career in the armed forces. They were aware of the pay before they joined. In any other army elsewhere in the world this would be dealt with vigorously and under military law. It is unthinkable that members of our armed forces display such insubordination. It is clear that we don't have an army to speak of, I can only hope that we never have to rely on the SANDF for our nation's defense, we would be helpless.

The law is an arse. It (the law) is used as a battering ram against a group of people who have legitimate grievances, raised those grievances with the relevant people through their (soldiers') representative organisation (not recognised by the authorities) and are being told that their aspirations are "deliberately provocative"?! The real provocation is the shameful conditions soldiers have to live under and the starvation wages they have to make do with. They (soldiers) are used as cannon fodder by capital's state (the ANC government) to defend the inviolability of capital's profit extraction and the system finds their aspirations to be fairly paid an outrage? Sies! I want a constitution that guarentees the locking up of those who shoot (and those condoning the shooting) on workers, unemployed and badly paid soldiers when they protest.

@ Singh: your groveling at the feet of the "international community", if stripped to its bare essentials, is groveling before the ruling opinions of Obama, Brown, Merkel, Sarkozy & co. You forget that there are two "international communities" - one of the rich and powerful and one of those struggling to break the stranglehold of the rich and powerful. No question where you stand on the matter.

@ Dumisani: don't be silly now. We should fold our hands and go home once the courts say we can't have a protest march? Told you the Tito sponsored LRA of the early 1990's was a step back for social and economic justice. I repeat: the law is an arse.

If that was a coup attempt then it's even worse than a display of bad discipline. I guess our first line of defence is now the police force?

I disagree with the actions totally! But if the union is not recognised and their demands are not being heard (much like the poverty hearings!) what can they do? There must be some way of escalating this issue! And lets remember that most MK veterans have NOT been well treated and MANY have been abandoned. I would have thought it only sensible that people with this kind of training be looked after - they may be called to put their lives on the line. Come one, with city managers earning more than our president, millions spent on cars, and we still turn around and blame these soldiers - get real and lets give them a good deal!

The illegal violent protest by soldiers as reported is symptomatic of a much greater issue.
Any grouping seeking to display its displeasure for a multitude of reasons now commonly resort to an anarchic practices in justification of their desires. It is apparent that the ensuing violence and mayhem is condoned by their representation with much lip service to the contrary.
The general “civil disobedience” (A justifiable apartheid policy by black nationalist movements to make the government at the time ungovernable not only still perpetuates, but is expanding.) we experience in this country on a daily basis albeit in the form of the current wave of strikes is indicative of a country in serious moral and principle decay. The civil disobedience syndrome also manifests itself throughout the rest of the fabric of South African society in the form of a general disrespect of authority, law and order.
These strikes go much deeper than the demands purported by demonstrators and it has become obvious that they are politically motivated. A fifth column at work here?
However, the issue of the military. Is their action classified as a breach of military regulation, code or conduct and if so, are the offenders to be subjected to court martial or similar disciplinary procedures? If not, our first line of defense can now “down tools” which in itself exposes the frailty of SA in the face of deteriorating standards of conduct and values, and above all, the deteriorating ethos of a nation.

South Africa does not owe MK vets anything. They joined the struggle to liberate the nation they so dearly love, wasn't it? Did they do that to get reimbursed some time later? If so, i would suggest that they talk to the ANC. The struggle is over, let them re-train for other occupations.

Climbing over the fence and trying to invade parliament is a MUTINY and they should be tried as such.

The actions of the soldiers were undesirable and give the country a very bad image. Whilst I sympathise with them earning R4000 pm when the Minister sleeps in a hotel charging R3000 a night, they acted in a fashion similar to a coup. The government must mete out a punishment that will be a lesson to the entire defence force. It seems people think that they can do as they please with the not so new administration in power. Dumisani, quit smoking ignorance.

All those who participated are guilty of MUTINY.

if you wind someone up & they get angry - they are not to blame you are. and if they repress their feelings - it will lead to an unexpected, more uncontrollable & damaging explosion. south africa is a country where people wind-up people & those people get angry. at least we are getting a warning

the soldiers should look at what other armies do around the world. the military in most countries are given huge privileges or they take them. In south-africa, pakistan, japan, uk, france, usa, nigeria, colombia, sri lanka, etc. most of the big busineses & landowners are ex-military. the best strategy seems to be a take-over of land & strategic industries.

@ Steven Lamini - yes, there are two international communities. Which of these do u think actually matters in the world?
south Africa has to be recognised and respected by the worlds powers and one way to do this, is to be obscenely wealthy and successful. Thats the side I am on.

That was radical coming from soldiers but also people are tired of bieng shown the promise land but are getting there and there are no prospects or indications that they will ever get there. Yes it is embarrasing but the government also should be considerate, these people have famalies take care of. Is is very sad that when people assume positions of power they grow to be arrogant and forget the very people that gave them a push to ascend to those offices and become their worse enemies, what can you do really with R4000.000 a month in this recession? MP's are paid fat salaries while people in the group are suffering, to make it worse while people who are said to be protecting the counrty are aerning peanuts! and the Government preaches patriotism ... noh way ! this is not going to stop there are more revolts coming if the government keep thinking that they will apply an iron hand tactic in dealing with fed up citizenz and might even tease a civil war.

I think it is time to cancel my plans to attend the World Cup

People apparently and including those in the Force seem to ignore that the Constitutional court granted the Soldiers the right of protest. I wholly condemn the aftermath of the protest without qualification. In the same breath it should be remembered, that with them having the right to peaceful protest there is an equal responsibility on the leadership to accept the grievances as raised. Further the much to me indicates the gap between the top structures and the troops. In the Defence Force it takes a maximum of 30 minutes at-most for the Minister to communicate to the last soldier present at work through the channel of command. In regard to what happened, it was fully known by the commanders of the impending protest but the wholly ignored it or at least hoped that the nobody will turn-up but we now know people turned up and only hereafter do they want to take action.
Further to blame the who ever Judge who declared the protest illegal, he should have been aware of his peers decision on this matter at the contitutional court instead of allowing himself as the instrument of ambush at the last minute as the march was initially authorised and should have foreseen the resultend consequences. Lastly the soldier in the defence force earn less than an unskilled domestic employee in a surburb, what is that? They can't even afford a train ticked no wonder you find in the N1 from JHB to Pretoria. Had the Minister wanted to talk to them about her plans they would have listened certainly.

Violence of whatever form is condemned with all its costs, it is also true that these are people who are supposed to protect our country. The minister in his capacity as a minister has all the reasons to say what he said about soldiers, to an extent of giving them an unpaid leave. We should also remember that South Africa is a democratic state, strikes are in most cases a last resort should anything else fails.
I am not informed whether there was some form of negotiations about the salaries of the soldiers, if there was at what stage are the negotiations currently? The strike that the soldiers embarked on was illegal, why were they not allowed to strike? Was it deliberate on the part of the government to deny soldiers their right to partake on an organized manner to raise their concerns?
I am also failing to understand what the minister ( Sisulu) was trying to say when she said she cares about soldiers, she has tried everything she could…..To mention something and doing it are two different things, the reality of the matter is our soldiers has a valid case to contest. We should not take advantage of the fact that soldiers are barred from participating in any form of protest. This is the government of the people and by the people; it should not be difficult to listen or hear what the people have to say.
The issue of salary is indeed a sensitive one and our government should try to balance on that regard. There should be regulation that will look into such matter on yearly bases without people having to strike.

what would make this article far better is
1. actually mention why the protest took place somewhere in the first few paragraphs, not the last. you know, be fair.
2. tell us what a low ranking soldier earns. for example, 30% on R2000 or R3000 a month isn't much in this economy.

the price of toilet paper doubles but no-one's salary doubles.

Court-martial the lot of them I say.

The NIS Ignores history at our peril. In 1917 the Bolsheviks had totally infiltrated the Imperial Russian Army and sued for peace with the Germans. COSATU & the SACP have totally infiltrated SANDF. The SANDF General Staff & Officer Corps are totally out of touch with their men. Imagine if faced with mobilization in the face of a real internal or external military threat, would the SANDF have to defer to the COSATU & SACP Commisars before mobilization took place.????
What ever happened to the SA Military Code Of Conduct.????

a lot of the comments indicate a severe lack of intelligence and decency among our people. just how much is a fair remuneration for people you expect to put their lives on the line without question whenever a politician causes kak somewhere? soldiers don't cause wars.. they are just expected to die in quarrels which are not even theirs. and then it is "deplorable" when they ask for a little more.. they didn't even refuse to perform their duty and desert...like "under paid bus drives (sic)" indeed! our politicians in parliament fit the description more aptly.