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South Africa’s largest defence force union has threatened an armed siege of the military’s headquarters if their demands are not met.

Delivering an ultimatum outside the Department of Defence’s headquarters in Pretoria yesterday, the SA National Defence Union (Sandu) said it was a final warning.

The protesters were soldiers from various infantry battalions and units around the country.

The warning came a week after General Officer Commanding of the army’s infantry formation, Major-General Themba Nkabinde, blasted soldiers in the infantry for ill-discipline and called for an urgent turn-around before chaos ensued in the force.

Carrying posters calling for the heads of Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and Defence Secretary January Masilela, nearly 200 protesters descended on the department’s headquarters.

Most of them were from 4 SA Infantry Battalion, based in Middleburg in Mpumalanga, and the War College in Pretoria.

Military Police prevented them from entering the headquarters, so they marched up and down a picket line, taunting several generals who passed them.

Singing protest songs, shouting “shoot to kill”, toyi-toying and blowing vuvuzelas, the soldiers demanded wage increases and the immediate dismissal of Lekota and Masilela.

Sandu chairman Tshepo Motlhajwa, who is based at the War College, said they would not tolerate the defence force’s continued “abuse” of soldiers.

“Next time we come here, we’ll be in our uniforms and with our guns. We’ll lay siege to these headquarters until our demands are met. We’ll do what the metro police did on the highway,” he said, referring to the recent shootout between Johannesburg Metro Police and the police on the M2.

“If it means we must use our guns and shoot to get the attention we need, we will. We’re tired of toyi-toying, handing over memoranda and trying to talk sense to these people.

“It is clear they don’t care about us. The buck stops here. We won’t allow this abuse to continue,” said Motlhajwa.

He said they were prepared to lay down their lives for a living wage.

Jeff Dubazana, Sandu’s chief negotiator, said the protest was a continuation of their protests from June.

“Our demands are that Lekota and Masilela step down immediately and that our wages be increased by 19%,” he said.

Dubazana said while they had reached an earlier wage agreement with the defence force, the agreement was only verbal and had been reneged on.

“We were prepared to compromise, but the defence force wasn’t.

“Our picket is a warning to the defence force that we won’t tolerate this abuse any longer.

“If the defence force doesn’t agree to our demands within a week, we’ll have a continuous picket outside the headquarters.”

Defence spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said members of the SANDF had a right to peaceful and unarmed assemblies, demonstrations and pickets, and to present petitions in their private capacity.

“Sandu has been exercising these rights without any interference from the Defence Department.

“But in terms of Section 200 (1) of the South African constitution, the SANDF must be structured and managed as a disciplined force.

“Any member or members of the SANDF who, by act or omission, causes actual or potential prejudice to good order and military discipline shall be guilty of an offence and as such the department will ensure that such member(s) are severely dealt with in terms of the law,” said Mkhwanazi.