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JOHANNESBURG – MKMVA veteran Carl Niehaus defended veterans asking to be included in security operations at the national rail agency on Tuesday while speaking in a Twitter exchange between him and Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula.
Mbalula accused Niehaus and fellow MK veteran Kebby Maphatsoe of hiding behind ANC structures to loot state funds.
The Passenger Railways Agency (Prasa) announced plans in July to hire at least 3,000 security officers after canceling contracts with some security companies due to poor service.
LEE: Mbalula, Niehaus clash over Prasa on Twitter
MKMVA veterans have demanded responses to a 2019 memo requesting that they be assigned security and other suitable jobs.
Niehaus described Mbalula as young and insulting.
“I am really surprised by what Minister Mbalula was trying to allege,” Niehaus said.
“I would do much better to listen carefully to what the MKMVA in the Gauteng structures had said about the problem with security in Prasa and specifically in Metrorail.”
READ: Prasa looting discovered in state capture investigation
Also specifically, about all the losses that materially occurred there. Our colleagues have raised these issues for a considerable period of time and have raised the issue of employment within those security operations that are acquired. This is something that can be done within the Military Veterans Act that I am sure Comrade Mbalula knows about. “
The Military Veterans Act establishes the state-recognized principles that govern military veterans, including policy objectives on benefits related to military veterans.
Under the Act, veterans have the right to have job placement facilitated and to be facilitated or advised on business operations.
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Niehaus also referred to an open letter alleging misconduct by Mbalula, written by an anonymous group that referred to themselves as “comrades of the ANC.”
The ANC issued a statement shortly after the letter was published, denouncing it as “baseless accusations.”
