Statement

The ANC Veterans League (VL) met yesterday, 29th November, on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It reiterated the call for the release of detainees and political prisoners in Palestine, including Marwan Barghouti, the Nelson Mandela of Palestine.

The Veterans League condemned the fact that, in the face of as many as 400 detainees having been killed in Israeli custody over the last two years, more of the 9,000 detainees face the real prospect of death, as they are tortured, raped, starved, and refused medical treatment.

The ongoing protests by South Africans across the country in solidarity with the Palestinian people and against the genocide in Gaza reflect the commitment to democracy and international solidarity by our people, said Snuki Zikalala, ANC Veterans League President. The VL welcomed the initiative of ex-South African political prisoners and detainees to join the international campaign to highlight the plight of Palestinians in Israeli jails and prisons.

The Veterans League will be represented by a delegation of over 40 representatives at the mid-term National General Council (NGC) of the ANC, starting on 8th December 2025. In preparation for the NGC, the VL National Executive Committee (NEC) reflected on the current state of the country and the ANC. It also approved key proposals to advance ANC renewal for presentation to the NGC.

The NEC meeting welcomed and congratulated the President and government of the Country on the successful hosting of the G20 meeting and the pulling off a diplomatic and strategic coup in the face of bullying by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The successful hosting of the G20 was the culmination of a significant number of positive news stories emanating from the government led by Cde Cyril Ramaphosa. In the face of this, the VL NEC supported the condemnation by VL President Snuki Zikalala of dark forces within and outside the ANC for challenging the competency of President Ramaphosa and undermining the ANC.The NEC discussed several practical yet far-reaching proposals to renew the ANC regarding the roles and responsibilities of ANC members, ethical leadership, and electoral reform, which it intends to propose at the NGC. This is because the VL believes, as the President said in his Political Report, that this is not the time for foolhardy measures but for a path to change through democratic processes and the use of the ANC’s constitutional structures.

The NEC also welcomed the classification of gender-based violence and femicide as a national crisis while recognising that behavioural change is key to addressing this crisis.

Ends//