Defence union to lay charges against a serving general

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

The SA National Defence Union has added its voice to calls for a general to be sanctioned for allegedly mobilising troops to free soldiers who were arrested at an Oudtshoorn tavern.

The SANDF has ordered a probe into the claims, with the Freedom Front Plus calling for the un-named general to be disciplined and also arrested.

Sandu says its dismayed at reports that the general, who was reportedly intoxicated, had unlawfully mobilised armed soldiers and armoured infantry fighting vehicles in order to free a senior ranking SANDF officer and several other soldiers, arrested in a police raid in Bongilethu last Saturday night, from police custody.

National Secretary, advocate Pikkie Greeff, says the army general's conduct was an abuse of power.

"It's absolutely mind boggling that a senior ranking general would have the individual power to act as a maverick and mobilise troops unlawfully and illegally to challenge the authority of SAPS. It's even more mind boggling that defence force management now tries to deny the entire incident when they know a docket has been opened by the Oudtshoorn police and there is evidence under owth of this generals conduct." says Greef.

Greeff told Algoa FM News that the SA National Defence Union plans to lay charges against the general.

"We are meeting with our legal representatives today (on friday) to formulate the charges, its not only sedition charges its also abuse of state equipment and public violence charges. On Monday we will go to SAPS and open a docket in terms of these charges."