KwaZulu-Natal-based military veterans can this month (February) apply for the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) national verification programme to validate applications for inclusion on the national military veterans’ database.
Those who cannot make the scheduled February dates should not despair as further dates are set for June and July with an electronic option available.
The verification started on Monday 2 February in Newcastle at, according to the DMV, 5 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion. Further verification stops includes Operation Corona border protection bases in Pongola (3 and 4 February) and Ulundi (5 and 6 February) ahead of the DMV database verification, cleansing and enhancement (DVCE) work stream moving to Richards Bay (7-9 February – 121 SAI), Port Shepstone (10-12 and 16-17 February, Banana Beach Resort), Durban (18 February-1 June, Army Support Base KZN), Pinetown (2-3 June), Pietermaritzburg (8 June-16 July, Ingoma-Makhosi Base) and Esigodini (17-18 July, Ingoma-Makhosi Base).
The DMV application validation announcement notes the KwaZulu-Natal effort “mainly targets” non-statutory force (NSF) soldiers and personnel who did not integrate into the SA National Defence Force (SANDF). Applications for database inclusion from former Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), Azanian People’s Liberation Army (Apla), Azanian National Liberation Army (Azanla) as well as self defence units and former political prisoners with prison numbers will be handled during the scheduled February, June and July schedule.
Once verified and registered on the database veterans can apply for benefits, including pension and healthcare, due to them.
In the case of pensions, DMV has outsourced management and payment to the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) where all, according to SAnews, is not well. The government news agency on Tuesday 3 February reported GPAA Chief Executive Officer Kedibone Madiehe is facing a disciplinary hearing in the wake of “serious misconduct concerning high value procurement transactions” following forensic investigations into allegations of governance irregularities and financial misconduct at the Agency.
Also on GPAA and its operations, a Parliamentary questioner was informed applicants must be furnished with an acknowledgement letter within 90 days of submission. Replying in writing to Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) Maliyakhe Shelembe, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga put it that the GPAA is issuing acknowledgement letters on submission of an application at a service point “immediately” with a reference number.
The GPAA is represented nationally with offices in Cape Town, Gqeberha, Bisho, Mthatha, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Nelspruit (Mbombela), Polokwane, Thohoyandou, Mafikeng, Rustenburg, Kimberley Bloemfontein, Phuthaditjaba, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Applications, according to the ministerial response, can also be done electronically to milvet.applications@gpaa.gov.za. Applicants can make follow up queries on the status of their applications via milvet.enquiries@gpaa.gov.za.
