MKMVA defends Sisulu for Cuban engineers deployment, blames WMC

The uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) has come out in the defence of Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s deployment of 24 Cuban engineers and labelled critics as propagandists for white monopoly capital (WMC.)

Sisulu has come under attacks from civil organisations, political parties and other bodies after welcoming 24 Cuban engineers to South Africa to help repair the country’s ailing water infrastructure and mentor SA’s municipal workers.

The MKMVA said in a statement on Wednesday that critics were “agents of white monopoly capital who sought to discredit cooperation between SA and Cuba.

The association has since singled out Consulting Engineers of South Africa (CESA) CEO Chris Campbell who weighed in on the matter.

“CESA is disingenuous in their attack because when Eskom brought 40 white engineers from Germany to assist with countering load shedding they did not whisper as much as a word of complaint,” said MKMVA spokesperson Carl Niehaus.

“For the minister to be attacked for drawing on Cuban expertise and continuing solidarity is outrageous and counter-revolutionary. She must be defended by all of us who continue to be true revolutionaries.”

Sisulu defended herself and the ministry on Tuesday.

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She said when she made the call for engineers in the country to come forward and work with the department, only five companies responded.

“Sadly they are now crying foul,” she said.

“I repeat the Cubans are not in our country for employment. They are here to mentor our municipal workers so that we can create jobs for South Africa, both skilled and unskilled. Today we have qualified black women engineers who they mentored during their last stint in our country,” Sisulu said.