Johannesburg – Deputy President David Mabuza was in the Western Cape to address matters affecting the plight of military veterans.
Mabuza said that the history of our liberation Struggle can never be narrated without acknowledging the heroism and sacrifices of all our military veterans who committed their lives to the service of national freedom.
“You trained and slept in bush camps, left your families, and dedicated your lives to the well-being of our country. You will forever remain heroes and heroes of our democracy,” said Mabuza.
He said that it has been unfortunate that, with the demobilisation of the combatants, many returned to communities where opportunities for employment with their skill set are severely limited.
Mabuza said many have been reduced to abject poverty and hopelessness, therefore they have every right to demand a portion of the benefits that come with freedom.
“It is for this reason that our government started a legislative process that eventually saw the enactment of the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011, from which the Department of Military Veterans was established.
“Since then, military veterans have become entitled to benefits prescribed in the act and were able to raise grievances in relation to their perceived incapacity of the Department of Military Veterans to adequately dispense these benefits to their community," said Mabuza.
Mabuza, who chairs the Presidential Task Team on the Affairs of Military Veterans established in the latter part of 2020, will tackle the concerns raised about the livelihoods of military veterans.
“Some of you will recall that in our initial meetings, all provincial premiers were called in order to assist in the amicable resolution of the challenges faced by military veterans. Our belief is that provinces have a critical role to play in supporting military veterans, as they are closer to where our veterans live,” said Mabuza.
He said that they have made an effort to interact directly with military veterans in their respective home provinces, “as we are doing today”, to agree on key issues that need to be resolved and addressed.
Mabuza said that some of the obstacles they have identified that have caused a delay in the delivery of benefits include the negative effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the Department of Military Veterans’ operations and performance, the constrained fiscal environment, delays in approving high-impact projects, and the management of the Department of Military Veterans’ database.
“With regard to the extension of the provision of housing support to the surviving dependants of military veterans, we are in the process of amending the Military Veteran Act to extend the provision to widows and dependants of the deceased military veterans. We are confident that the process will be completed soon,” he said.
“Moreover, we are also improving the floor plans of the houses, and remedial work on defective houses is under way in a number of housing projects, including in Belhar.”
He said it was crucial to properly facilitate a government-wide response that is both effective and co-ordinated, as well as a joint action plan that aims to address the unique challenges faced by the veterans.
The experience gained from the work of this task team has led to the creation of co-ordinating structures in the offices of the premiers, through which various grievances of military veterans are being attended to.
The Star