What you said: Thanks should be enough for military vets who want millions for fighting apartheid

Many readers do not support a request by military veterans for R4m once-off each for their contribution to the struggle against apartheid. 

Deputy minister of defence and military veterans Thabang Makwetla revealed last Wednesday during a sitting of parliament’s defence and military veterans portfolio committee that the government had decided to reject the demands after consultations with a number of departments. 

TimesLIVE reported Makwetla was leading a department delegation meant to brief the sitting on the progress made by the presidential task team set up last year by President Cyril Ramaphosa after protests by the association.

“The presidential task team come to the determination that it was virtually impossible to accede to. However, the need for financial support for the upkeep of these military veterans, because many of them are without jobs, was appreciated,” he said. 

TimesLIVE ran a poll last week asking readers whether they thought the military veterans should receive the payouts.

Most readers (46%) said the nation’s “thanks” should be enough for the veterans, 42% questioned how their contribution is quantified and 13% supported the calls, saying the veterans should receive payouts for their contributions during the struggle.

Social media users shared similar sentiments, with some saying the country cannot afford the payouts.