01:15 GMT 8th November 2011
Now the government wants to address the problem through a new law, which will make additional provision for the welfare of those who fought for the liberation movements. The new law is enmeshed in controversy with the government and opposition disagreeing over everything from the number of veterans or cost implications. However, they both agree that doing nothing about the plight of the militants is not an option.
Through the years of the anti apartheid struggle, hundreds of thousands of youth took part in the military campaign. Most of them could not get education or learn any vocation other than soldiering. With the end of apartheid, there was the prospect that these liberation soldiers would be integrated into the national army. With the then South African government so keen not to alarm the white minority, this did not happen. The case of the veterans was left untreated.
But social problems do not go away. It is a positive development that the government is now taking some action. Leaving as many as 56,000 people with military training in destitution is a security time bomb. It is a matter of time before it explodes. The experience of neighbouring Zimbabwe, where veterans spearheaded the seizure of white owned farms, illustrates the potential danger. It is a tribute to the spirit of sacrifice South Africans were ready to make for a democratic and plural society that matters have not gone out of hand by now.
Beyond the security risk issue, South Africa owes these veterans a moral duty to look after them. But for their sacrifice, the country will today be under apartheid. If they risked their lives for a better society, it is just fair that they get the dividends of the new South Africa they built.
Without resettling the veterans, the wounds of racial hatred may not really heal and the danger this poses to South Africa's attempt to build an inclusive society may remain a mere dream. Huge as the cost may be, it is just one bill South Africa has to pay for the sake of peace, fairness and racial harmony.
However, the rehabilitation plan must be sustainable. The government should consider training those who are fit to take up other vocations. Even an adult education scheme to get some of the veterans under 40 back to school may not sound that outlandish. Without new vocations, the veterans will remain beneficiaries of state handouts. We call on the opposition in South Africa to support this bill. It is better South Africa pays a high price now to build a rainbow society in the future.
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