Unabridged statement: Ministry of Defence on SANDU dues

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The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans call on soldiers to ask the leadership of SANDU where the almost R1 Million they collect monthly from poor soldiers as membership fee is.

SANDU, WHERE IS THE R50 MILLION OF SOLDIERS?

The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans call on soldiers to ask the leadership of SANDU where the almost R1 Million they collect monthly from poor soldiers as membership fee is. SANDU collects close to R10 Million annually through salary deductions as membership but since 2003 they have not submitted any financial report or audited financial statements to the Department of Defence.

The Ministry is concern that the deliberate on going lies about key operational issues in the SANDF are designed to keep SANDU relevant as many members are beginning to ask about the where about of the annual membership fees and what it is being used for.

Considering that SANDU has not submitted any audited financial statements or financial reports since 2003 it is our concern that over R50 Million remains unaccounted for by SANDU. We also suspect that SANDU strategy to rush to court every week is also design to convince poor soldiers that their money is at work, whereas the issues can be resolved in a meeting for free.

Some of the lies SANDU is spreading in the media is that soldiers would be paid less than what other security forces will get, and they know is not true as direct communication has gone to soldiers to inform them that they will not be disadvantaged. They also say home allowance for soldiers have been cancelled; the truth is that you cannot get a house allowance when you stay in a barracks and in a house provided by the SANDF for free. No soldier who stays in a free house will get a home allowance.

The biggest lie is that soldiers will get their full backpay this month; they know is not true, the money is being phased in every month from savings of the SANDF.

The Ministry is convinced that the recent spate of lies and disinformation is a desperate attempt by SANDU to avoid explaining the over R50 Million they have collected from their members for doing nothing since 2003. The Department of Defence has started a process to deregister the Union as it does not meet the required thresh hold to be in the SANDF.

Head of Media Services (Ministry Spokesperson)

Cell: 083 645 7838

[email protected]

Date: May 22, 2010

Issued by Ndivhuwo Mabaya