SA soldiers protest over poor salaries

  1. Posted on Thursday 27 August 2009 - 08:42
    Mernat
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    Mernat Mafirakurewa, AfricaNews reporter in Johannesburg, South Africa
    A protest by members of the South Africa National Defence Forces on Wednesday turned violent at the Union Buildings in Pretoria as they went on a peaceful protest over poor salary in the service. Investigations into the circumstances of the march are already underway in the Southern African country.
    soldiers
    North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday morning dismissed an application by the South African National Defence Union (Sandu) to force the army to release its soldiers to take part in a protest march to the Union Buildings.

    Several cars were damaged as police pushed the soldiers back from the Union Buildings, he said. Soldiers threw a petrol bomb into one vehicle, it was reported.

    The South African National Defence Union, which is not recognised by the government as an official union, was demanding 30 percent salary increases, which Minister of Defence Lindiwe Sisulu called "deliberately provocative".

    Minister of Police Nathi Mthethwa, in a statement, "strongly condemned" the violence.
    "The illegal march, which was supposedly to be peaceful, deteriorated into chaos as scores of SANDF [South African National Defence Force] members were seen causing havoc.

    "While members of the SANDF had the right of freedom of assembly and to protest, there can be no justification for their behaviour, which negated their status as the defenders of the nation," said Mthethwa.

    Police used water cannon, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse about 1 000 soldiers who staged an illegal march on the Union Buildings, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

    Soldiers tried to climb the fence surrounding the main government complex in Pretoria, after a court refused their application to stage a march to demand better salaries.
    Mthethwa told reporters that two soldiers had been arrested and handed over to military police.

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