Slow start to MK march in CT
2009-05-27 11:30
Cape Town - With a small band of ageing former soldiers singing peacefully before an authorised march, fears of a violent protest by the MK Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) seemed unfounded on Wednesday morning.
By 10:00, when the march was due to start, less than 100 veterans had arrived. Spokesperson Fatty Booi told News24 frankly: "We as soldiers are decreasing in number because we are dying - we are vets."
The protest against the DA looked likely to remain one of words. The MKMVA threatened to make the province - the only one not won by the ANC in the recent elections - ungovernable after DA leader Helen Zille criticised the President Jacob Zuma's attitude towards women in defence of her own all-male Cabinet.
Zille's statement that Zuma put his wives at risk by having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman caused uproar amongst the ANC Youth League and the MKMVA, who lashed back by implying Zille was sleeping with her Cabinet. The ANC subsequently distanced itself from the statements.
Booi conceded that the march was not endorsed by Zuma, but said the veterans were the backbone of the organisation and needed no permission.
Danced in circle
The youngest people at the march were the volunteer marshalls. The veterans clad in army fatigue danced in a circle, singing about taking "Msholozi" (Zuma's clan name) to power.
"This is old men with new clothes," remarked one passer-by, chuckling to himself.
Meanwhile, as they waited for more members to arrive, Booi swore the march would be peaceful and disciplined.
"It does not mean, if we make any government ungovernable it will lead to violence," he said. "If we get all the workers marching on this, the province will come to a standstill without causing any violence. It will be peaceful."
But such numbers were a far cry from those trickling in. Booi blamed the City of Cape Town authorities for delaying the issuing of a march permit and giving wrong dates which "sabotaged" the process of bussing in MK members from all over the country.