MK vets 'helping' on the streets? 'Hell no,' says DA's Phumzile Van Damme

DA MP Phumzile Van Damme is against the idea of MK veterans helping the military and police during the 21-day national lockdown.

According to Sowetan, the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) in KwaZulu-Natal will on Friday call on its members to strengthen law-enforcement efforts as the country tries to stop the spread of Covid-19.

“The KwaZulu-Natal MKMVA feels the time has come for a roll-call on April 4 2020 in the province and the rest of SA to inform all our members to come out and reinforce our law-enforcement agencies in this self-sacrificing task of preventing the further spread of coronavirus,” provincial chairperson Themba Mavundla told the paper.

The association is not an official law- enforcement agency and members would be subject to the same lockdown restrictions as ordinary citizens unless given special permission to perform these duties as volunteers.

While Mavundla said that the veterans are “highly disciplined and could assist in managing the situation”, Van Damme was not convinced.

Taking to Twitter she called for them to be arrested, and said SA doesn't need “more lawlessness on the streets”.

The idea divided social media users, with some saying law-enforcement could use all the help it can get.

Many others wondered if the veterans weren't “too old” and may be vulnerable to catching the virus on the streets.