SANDF chief ramps up the tough talk

Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have been reminded that human life is more important than individual human rights, but that they have to treat all South Africans with respect and discipline.

This reminder was issued by the SANDF chief, General Solly Shoke, yesterday when he addressed a contingent of soldiers at the army’s Tshwane Regiment.

The soldiers were deployed to ensure South Africans adhere to the lockdown rules, which were announced by government in a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Armed with rifles and wearing masks and gloves, the soldiers were stationed at the Carousel toll plaza on the N1 north, where they stopped and inspected every vehicle, including trucks.

Those with no valid reason to be on the road were instructed to make a U-turn on the highway and return to where they’d come from.

Essential service workers and delivery truck drivers had to produce their permits and a form of identification to prove they were on duty.

But a lot was sacrificed by the soldiers to ensure the country was protected during the global pandemic.

Some had barely seen their families since last year as they were deployed shortly after returning from a six-month foreign mission. Army personnel were not yet allowed to go home after a hard day’s work but instead had to remain on standby at the army base.

“I have two children, a boy and a girl, who are currently staying with my mother in Soshanguve. Most of us here have children but our country comes first. My children understand that this is a huge matter that needs to be attended to. I do miss them. But I call them every day,” said one soldier.

Their platoon commander, Lieutenant Puseletso Modise, had to cancel his one-month leave earlier in March, when he got the call to give directives to his troops during the lockdown.

He had just returned from a six-month foreign mission in Botswana and only had a few days to spend with his 10-year-old child in Mafikeng before being deployed in Gauteng.

“There is no organisation in the whole country that is organised like the SANDF.

“Here, there is no democracy. What the general [Shoke] says, goes. The general is the overall commander. It is me on the ground who must put together a plan to [make sure] what the general wants, happens,” Modise said.

In his address, a stern Shoke denounced the notion of “skop en donner” where soldiers used excessive force to enforce the law on civilians. He said videos of such brutality circulating on social media would be scrutinised and action would be taken.

Addressing his army, he commanded them to practise discipline and to treat South Africans with respect and dignity.

“There are those who speak of human rights. All of us must enjoy our human rights. But human life is more important than individual human rights. You are out there to protect human lives and those who threaten human lives must be dealt with accordingly within, of course, the confines of the law,” he said.

– rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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