The EX MK all-inclusive conference for renewal, unity, welfare and discipline
The Department of Military Veterans, together with the All-inclusive Ex-MK Conference Preparatory Committee, will host an all-inclusive conference of Ex-MK military veterans under the theme “Renewal, Unity, Welfare and Discipline. This conference is taking place against the backdrop of Freedom month, when South Africans celebrate the date in which the first non-racial elections took place in 1994. The conference will take place from the 28th – 30 April 2022 at the East London ICC from 09:00am.
The conference is entrusted with the responsibility of uniting combatants from both uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) and Umkhonto we Sizwe National Council (MKNC) including the entire Ex- MK community under one umbrella. The All Inclusive Conference therefore refers to a process that will involve fairly and impartially all Ex- MK combatants being organized into one entity focused on preserving the good legacy it has, and imparting these stories to the younger generations.
After several attempts to unite the MK, to address challenges of their welfare, housing needs, health care, skilling and education support for military veterans and their dependents, it is envisaged that the conference will bring together all Ex-MK combatants as a united force to chart a way forward to a brighter future for all those who sacrificed their youth in the battlefields engaged in activities against the apartheid regime.The conference will seek to generate interest among all MK veterans in the various detachments and internally trained cadres. It will sensitize them to the Department of Military Veteran’s database and verification process. Ex-MK combatants have been sensitized on who is eligible to attend the conference, through consultative programmes which took place in all provinces.
It is hoped that this process of uniting Ex uMkhonto we Sizwe combatants will lead to them sharing their rich history and stories with South Africans, relieving stories about heroic battles that rattled the pillars of apartheid and leading to its demise in Quito Carnavale, Wanki Sipolilo campaign and other successful battles fought inside the country.
The DMV is obliged to support military veterans in line with the executive authority priority, of the promotion of empowerment programmes for military veterans. The Department is mandated by the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011 to honour, and memorialize fallen and living military veterans and document their contribution to the liberation struggle of our country.
Source: Government of South Africa