Cape Forum calls for Coloured military veterans to be deployed against gangs

The marginalisation of Coloured ex-soldiers from the previous dispensation, as well as their experience of ongoing “discrimination and injustices”, is being highlighted by the civil rights organisation Cape Forum through its campaign for the devolution of policing powers to the Western Cape.

“The Coloured soldier has never had a voice,” says (retired) Army Colonel William Leukes. “The democracy we gained in 1994 brought hope, but after 30 years, there is no hope left.”

Colonel Leukes states that Coloured ex-soldiers face challenges, including a constant struggle to get registered with the Department of Military Veterans (DMV). This results, among other things, in some ex-soldiers finding themselves in dire socio-economic circumstances – “under bridges, at rubbish dumps, and as vagrants” – because they are denied access to the benefits that DMV registration entails.

Colonel Leukes spoke at a protest action organised by Cape Forum, held yesterday (Tuesday 11 August), at parliament. Representatives from the DA and the FF Plus, among others, also attended the protest. Like Cape Forum and the Cape Independence Advocacy Group (CIAG), these two parties support the devolution of policing powers.

Here is a summary of the contributions made by other speakers:

• Nicholas Gotsell, DA MP, stated that the reason Coloured military veterans are embroiled in a struggle with the DMV regarding registration may be linked to the fact that alleged corruption amounting to billions of rand within the department is currently under investigation. He noted that there is ample evidence indicating the police require assistance of some kind, particularly given the high murder rate in the Western Cape and the inadequate prosecution of firearm-related cases.
• Grant Marais, FF Plus member of the Western Cape Legislature, said that South Africa’s constitutional democracy is not currently functioning at its full potential. “Our freedom is incomplete because all three spheres of government are supposed to work together, yet this is not happening. The protest action aims to demand respect for the constitutional rights of provinces. Provinces should not merely be administrative extensions of the national government,” he said.
• Phil Craig, Chairperson of the CIAG, stated that the problem lies in the fact that the Western Cape must plead for the devolution of powers from the national government, even though the Constitution already makes provision for this and the devolution of powers is an internationally accepted practice. He added that the strongest argument currently in favour of devolving policing powers to the Western Cape is the fact that the military has been deployed on the streets due to the police’s inability to curb crime.

Heindrich Wyngaard, Executive Chairperson of Cape Forum, stated that cooperation with political parties and other stakeholders is crucial because success cannot be achieved by working in isolation. Some political parties claim to have solutions for the province’s crime problem, he says, yet they are unwilling to share these solutions, leaving communities at the mercy of ruthless criminals.

“However, communities cannot simply sit back and wait for political parties to bring about change in our circumstances. We are the ones suffering at the hands of murderers and rapists. We are the ones arranging funerals for victims.” He adds: “Fortunately, there are people already involved in initiatives like neighbourhood watches or who do not hesitate to share information with the police, despite the prevailing lack of trust in the police service.”

Wyngaard says Cape Forum has decided to give a voice to members of the former South African Cape Corps (SACC) – men whose plight Colonel Leukes highlighted when he said: “During the Border War, the bravest soldier was the Coloured soldier, yet today he means nothing more [to the country].”

For Cape Forum, these veterans exemplify the expertise that exists within local communities – expertise that can be harnessed to curb gangs and the associated drug trade. “It is far better to utilise people from within the communities than to rely on ‘tin soldiers’ deployed from Pretoria as part of a so-called ‘Operation Prosper’ – an operation associated with despondency rather than prosperity,” says Wyngaard.