Delegates to the recent 16th International Conference of Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces (ICOAF) heard the South African military Ombud expound on the problems many old soldiers endure.
Addressing the Berlin conference that ran from 30 September to 2 October, Vusimusi Masondo, himself a military veteran having served in the then Transkei Defence Force (TDF) before integration, said his office “identified that a great number of military veterans who fought for liberation of the country are excluded from the mandate in law and have little, if not limited, physical and mental healthcare”. He was probably referring to the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011.
Speaking in a military veterans’ session where the theme was “Support and care after deployment” and referring to the South African experience, he said all soldiers involved in the liberation struggle had to be remembered when it came to veterans’ dispensations. He told delegates: “I found it serving the purpose of the [SA Military Ombud] Office to forge strong and reliable relations with stakeholders impacting veterans’ health”.
He gave a number of case studies as examples with one where a “veteran’s membership” was terminated due to subscription payment failure. Investigating, his office found “prior communication” had not reached the member as his mobile phone number had changed. “No trace of informing the complainant was found,” Masondo said, adding the investigation ended well with membership reinstated and the old soldier suitably reimbursed.
The South African Military Ombud, Masondo said, “reaches out” to veterans by way of an outreach programme. This, according to him, assists in “noting the increase in veterans’ complaints relating to health services post their careers as soldiers”.
The plight of military veterans and the failure of the government entity – the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) – to get to grips and deliver has been on the receiving end of Parliamentary attention since South Africa’s seventh administration, in the form of a government of national unity (GNU), in mid-year. To date seven veteran specific questions have been put to Defence and Military Veteran Minister Angie Motshekga. Five came from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, asked by Edward Ntshingila, Des van Rooyen (three) and Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla; with one each from the Democratic Alliance (DA), asked by Maliyakhe Shelembe, and Cleo Wilskut from the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
The Berlin conference heard the next ICOAF conference will be in South Africa next year, coinciding with the 13th year of operations of the SA Military Ombud. Retired general Temba Matanzima was the first occupant of the Military Ombud office, replaced five years ago by Masondo.
