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We officials and National Executive Committee members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association as elected at the 4th National Conference of MKMVA in 2012 in Birchwood, Boksburg, reject as unconstitutional and fraudulent, the gathering led by Mr Kebby Maphatsoe over the last weekend of the 8th to 11th June, 2017 at the same venue.

Over and above the clear violation of the agreed process by the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress, and facilitated by the Secretary General of the ANC, we are also in possession of concrete evidence which proves the invalidity of the so-called conference that was led by Mr Maphatsoe’s faction.

According to the attendance record of Mr Maphatsoe’s gathering which defied the ANC NEC process,   violated not only the Constitution of MKMVA, but also the Military Veterans’ Act of 2011. It is clear that over 60% of those delegates are serving members of the South African National Defence Force, while others were former members of the apartheid South African Defence Force.

As such we believe that the bogus conference held by the faction led by Mr Maphatsoe, was not a gathering of former combatants of the peoples’ army, MK, but was an unconstitutional and fraudulent coming together for a factional agenda, meant to feed into the systematic destruction of the ANC by factions towards its National Elective Conference.

In our understanding and knowledge, the MKMVA Joint National Conference Preparatory Committee constituted by amongst others, the three members of MKMVA present here with us, and the others drawn from Umkhonto we Sizwe National Council Steering Committee, is still seized with the process of facilitating a unifying conference of MKMVA.

This process will further unfold in the next weekend of the 23rd -25th June 2017. This would entail joint visits by MKMVA and the MK National Council Steering Committee members to the provinces and regions of our country, as per the agreement of the joint meeting facilitated by the ANC Secretary General. These visits will culminate in the hosting of the unified MKMVA conference, which is scheduled to take place in the last weekend of the month of August 2017.

We have duly written to the Secretary General of the ANC, Comrade Gwede Mantashe, to report about progress on the unified MKMVA Conference preparations, and to inform him regarding the unconstitutional and fraudulent conference which was hosted by Mr Maphatsoe. We hope to get feedback from the Secretary General of the ANC soonest.

We would be interested to know how in the face of all the evidence that Mr Maphatsoe’s attempts to trick the holding of an unconstitutional and fraudulent gathering, should the ANC leadership advise the President of the ANC, Cde Jacob Zuma, to attend and give a keynote speech at that meeting.

To us as a leadership collective sitting here, representing many former MK combatants, we are deeply concerned and compelled to ask ourselves if this is not a factions-driven agenda that will play itself out at the December Conference of the ANC. Our concerns are also fuelled by the fact that what was supposed to be a conference of MKMVA, seems to have been an opportunity for Mr Maphatsoe to align MKMVA with the pronouncements of ANC leadership preferences, long before even ANC branches have been granted that opportunity.

We find this stance so brazenly exhibited at Mr Maphatsoe’s gathering as divisive, factional, irresponsible and totally puerile.

Our position as the legitimate leadership of MKMVA is to unite all former combatants of what was the glorious peoples’ army, Umkhonto we Sizwe to assist in uniting the ANC, all the alliance components and indeed the people of South Africa. We are driven by our honourable desire as former combatants, to ensure that the ANC cleanses itself, restores its leadership of the society and lead ethically with the highest moral authority as displayed generously by OR Tambo in his lifetime.

Ike Moroe 0728780165

Teenage Monama (Deputy Chair)

Dumisani Nduli (General Secretary)

Tshidiso Paka (Deputy General Secretary)

Lucky Maginxa (Member NWC)

Issued by MKVA