It appears the official Parliamentary opposition – the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MP) Party – is serious about the plight of South Africa’s military veterans with three of its public representatives having questions in this regard answered in Parliament’s first working week.
Questions regarding the military veterans’ database, benefit and pension payments as well as skills development put to Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Angie Motshekga, were answered in July ahead of Parliament’s second term of the year kicking off on 20 August.
Responses provided to Edward Ntshingila, Des van Rooyen and Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla indicate a measure of progress at the Department of Military Veterans (DMV).
As one example, Van Rooyen was informed pensions were paid to 1 232 military veterans by the end of June. At the same time 12 202 military veteran pension applications are “still being processed” with the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) working through 16 385 applications, down from 18 830 because of duplications discovered.
The “response originator” listed as Lindiwe Sothondoshe, a DMV Director, notes the department, in collaboration with GPAA, “are working hard to process all outstanding applications and reach out to those who need to submit outstanding documents”.
The all-important military veterans’ database has, Van Rooyen was informed, “a total population of 86 321”. Included in this number are 67 029 “alive military veterans” and 19 292 “deceased excluding dependents”.
An integrated database management system (IDMS) to automate processes is, the reply reads, “underway”.
Database verification is in the hands of a committee known by the acronym DVCE (Database Verification, Cleansing and Enhancement). To date it has completed work in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo provinces. Verification in the six remaining provinces will “resume once administration processes are finalised”.
The Ministerial response in part to Zuma-Sambudla’s veterans’ benefits delivery question has it that 2 959 old soldiers have to date received dedicated counselling and treatment with another 877 compensated for disabling injuries, severe psychological and neuro-psychiatric trauma or terminal disease.
On healthcare she was further informed 19 657 old soldiers have been provided access to healthcare. Providing housing for veterans, while nowhere near the same number as those receiving healthcare, stands at 2 225 houses with 608 mortgage bonds “rescued”.
Education, training and “business opportunities” to enable self-sufficiency for veterans is an ongoing DMV component with at university level, Motshekga able to inform her questioner of 700 plus graduates. Degrees are, among others, in medicine, law, accounting and engineering.
The Department said it supported more than 40 000 learners and students in both basic and tertiary institutions. Training and skills development programmes have been provided to 8 962 military veterans and dependents to date, and the department facilitated 25 military veterans for employment placement.
The Department facilitated or advised 1 239 military veterans on business opportunities. The Department, through an agreement with Armscor, is assisting 21 military veterans dependents with electrical and mechanical apprenticeships at the naval dockyard in Simons Town.
“There are ongoing discussions with potential employers, such as Armscor, Passenger Rail Services of South Africa (PRASA) and Border Management Authority (BMA),” according to Sihle Dlungwana, Chief Director: Skills Development and Empowerment Programmes at the DMV.
To date, the Department provided burial support for 3 574 people.
The SA National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA), Ntshingila heard, is included in the DMV budget representing eight veterans’ associations. They are MKMVA (Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association), APLAMVA (Apla Military Veterans Association), CMVO (Council of Military Veterans Organisations), and veterans associations from the former Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda defence forces. He was further informed the SA Cape Corps Military Veterans Association (SACCMVA) is now a recognised association and will join SANMVA after its elective conference.
