Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga maintains the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) provides services that “improve and sustain the livelihood of military veterans and their dependents”.
This was the crux of her reply to Maliyakhe Shelembe, Democratic Alliance (DA) point man in the National Assembly (NA) on military veterans. He wanted to know what was and is being done for old soldiers since President Cyril Ramaphosa named her as successor to Thandi Modise in July last year.
Motshekga supplied no details in her written response.
It reads, in part: “Yes, the Minister found that the DMV renders services that improve and sustain the livelihood of military veterans and their dependents. The department has held several meetings where presentations were made to the MoDMV (Minister of Defence and Military Veterans) and the two deputy ministers”.
Presentations made were the handover report of the 6th Administration, Annual Performance Plan 2024/25 financial year and Annual Report 2023/24 financial year. Additionally there was a strategic planning session with the DMV last October.
“During these sessions the Minister and team interacted and posed questions to DMV officials with the aim of sourcing more information in order to provide decisions and way forward. The Minister pronounced Ministerial Strategic Direction to the department for the 2025-30 Medium Term Development Plan. The Minister reiterated on how crucial it is for DMV to manage and administer affair of military veterans with dignity and compassion,” the Ministerial reply has it.
During Motshekga’s term of office to date there has been some improvement in pension pay-outs to old soldiers, now handled by GPAA (Government Pensions Administration Agency) in conjunction with the DMV, as well as updating and verification of the military veterans’ database.
Shelembe points to the transport subsidy for veterans as a benefit that is lacking. He maintains it “might work in urban areas, but doesn’t in rural areas” and will be posing further questions to Motshekga when Parliament convenes for it 2025 sitting.
