On 13 January 2023 I had the privilege to address a gathering of the Transkei Defence Force Military Veterans Association, in Mthatha, at which the proposed regulations seeking to regulate pension benefit of the military veterans, as well as the pensions of military veterans and other civil servants, in general, were the topics of discussion. I attach my speech for your information.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (DMV), Mr Cyril Xaba, denounces the actions of a group of military veterans in Tshwane yesterday evening that led to a hostage incident involving two Cabinet Ministers and a Deputy Minister. “While we are aware and note the challenges faced by military veterans especially regarding the inadequacies with the DMV, we remain unambiguously in opposing coercion and violence as a means to resolve these challenges,” Mr Xaba .
defenceWeb
Written by Guy Martin -
A derelict Mamba armoured personnel carrier.
The Islamist insurgency in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province demonstrates the need for states to develop and fund capable defence forces able to respond to security threats, according to Cyril Xaba, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.
Xaba was speaking at a webinar on the South African Defence Budget co-presented by the Centre for Military Studies and the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa at the University of Stellenbosch on 29 April.
He said the state needs to be able to balance the ability to respond to security threats like in Mozambique with the broader social needs of the state and that there needs to be urgent in-depth debate about the role and function of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and how it fits into broader macro-economic planning, especially given the broad decline in interest in defence.