Media Statement by the Director General on the Handover to families of the Remains of former Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans and the Gazetting of the Military Veterans Benefit Regulations
Ladies and gentlemen of the media.
We have come here on behalf of the Department of Military Veterans to brief you about two important developments that are taking place in the military sector including the significant development, the gazetting of Military Veterans Benefit Regulations on 19 February 2014.
Handover of the Remains
As part of its mandate as stipulated in Section 5 of the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011, to honour and memorialise military veterans, the Department of Military Veterans, represented by the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Honourable Thabang Makwetla will together with the Department of Justice and Constitutional development handover to the families the remains of five former combatants who died in various battles fighting against the then Apartheid forces between 1986 and 1988.
The handover ceremony will take place on Saturday at the East London City Hall between 08h00 and 14h00.
The five remains that will be handed over are the following:
- Mlungiseleli Velaphi from East London who was killed in a skirmish on 28th March 1988 on a small island next to Mutale River which is in Limpopo province
- Sizakele Buzo and Fuzile Zigoxo both from Port Elizabeth were killed in Alldays on 3rd August 1988 with three others, Lawrence Lesimola, from Theunissen in the Free Sate, Meshack Michael Nyathi from Penge Mine in Limpopo and Thamsanqa Poto form Port Elizabeth
- Vuyani Goniwe form Ntselamanzi location in Alice, in the Eastern Cape. He was killed in a skirmish on 27 October 1978, together with two other MK Cadres Bandile Ketelo and Mgcini Mali
All these were killed and buried as unidentified paupers in Tshokota cemetery in Louis Trichadt/Makhado. Through the assistance of the Missing Persons Task Team they were able to be positively identified and exhumed.
In line with the recently gazetted Military Veterans Benefits Regulations, which I will later talk about in greater detail, the DMV will support each family with a coffin and R25 000. The objective of this is to ensure that these military veterans are finally given decent funerals and their dignity is restored in line with our mandate to honour and memorialise the Military Veterans.
These handovers also constitute part of the caring efforts of the government in general, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development that Military Veterans in particular to enhance reconciliation and nation building and to finally bring closure to their families. At this juncture, let me on behalf of the management and staff of the Department of Military Veterans allow me to express our sincere condolences and express our message of solidarity at this hour of pain to the affected bereaved families. Their loss was indeed the loss of the whole nation.
May all the affected families as well as hundreds of others in similar circumstances get solace from the fact that theirs was not in vain for we are grateful that we are free today due by and large to their supreme sacrifices and may their souls rest in everlasting peace.
Gazetting of Military Veterans
Allow me then to quickly reflect on the significance of gazetting of the Military Veterans Benefit Regulations to the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011. (ACT)
We are indeed excited that on 19 February 2014 the MVBR were gazetted. This has finally paves the way for accelerated roll out of the 11 benefits stipulated in Section 5 of the ACT.
For over two extensive consultations on the 23 Regulations were undertaken with various stakeholders including parliament and the National Treasury. Consultations were a necessary element in ensuring that all policy gaps were closed to ensure seamless service delivery, we recognise that they created a lot of anxiety and anger amongst the military Veterans community, which indeed unfortunate and regrettable.
Amongst the critical benefits that we will be rolling out aggressively and with an extreme sense of urgency, which of course the military veterans have been yearning for over the years will be the following:
- Housing
- Health
- Education
- Burial Support
- Pensions
- Job Creation and Placements
- Business Support
Ever since the first ever budget of 300 million was allocated from the fiscus to the DMV for the financial year 2013/14, we have been hard at work for over a year to prepare the plans so that when the consultations are complete and the money is accordingly transferred we should immediately commence with the roll out of the benefits.
Housing
In accordance with our Annual Performance Plan 2013/14, an amount of 72 Million Rand has been allocated to roll out the provision of 505 houses to military veterans. Detailed plans as well as Service Level Agreements with the Department of Human Settlements both nationally and provincially are being finalised to ensure speedy provision of these long awaited houses to military veterans.
Health
On Health, notwithstanding the budgetary constraints we have made significant strides in rolling out free access to healthcare services. Between October and December 2013 we undertook road shows to all the nine provinces.
We were able to distribute almost 5 000 medical healthcare cards to military veterans which have enabled them to get free medical care at any medical facility of the South African Medical Health Service (SAMHS) of the South African National Defence Force. (SAMHS).
Alongside, working in partnership with the South African Health Practitioners and the SAMHS), we were able to provide free medical assessments to over 3000 MV’s on various forms of ailments ranging from chronic diseases to eye or ear tests. A total amount of over R3 million was spent for that campaign. We are now on the basis of the information gathered at the time providing counselling to more 1000 military veterans.
Education
On Education we have also made steady yet important strides. During the financial year 2012/13 100 bursaries at the cost R2 million were provided to military veterans at both lower education and tertiary.
This financial year 2014/15, that figure has been doubled. 200 bursaries have been provided to military veterans and an amount of R6 million has been allocated to ensure that books, laptops and other education materials necessary for military veterans and their dependants for them to study without any hassles are also provide.
Burial Support
Ladies and gentlemen, another area of significant support we have been able to provide and would be accelerating even further in years ahead, pursuant to the gazetting is burial support. To date, the DMV has provided burial support to almost 500 military veterans who died destitute. Before the gazetting, an amount of R10 000 was provided to families if military veterans for burial support. We are indeed elated to announce that following the gazetting, the amount has been increased to 25 000 as well the provision of a coffin. We believe that this will go a long way in ensuring that Military Veterans are provided dignified and honourable burials that they surely deserve.
Pensions
We are also happy announce that we have made a very significant breakthrough on pensions. We have an agreement with the Department of Social Development to utilise capacity and capability of South African Social Security Agency to accelerate the delivery of pensions to military Veterans. The Ministry will soon be making the detailed announcement of this.
Job Creation and Placements
With regard to Job creation for military Veterans we are making steady yet important strides. To date almost 1 200 military veterans have been assisted to access job opportunities through Memoranda of Understanding signed with Department such as Water and Environmental Affairs, Department of Rural development and Land Affairs, Agriculture and other state entities. We are also engaging with private sector to ensure a bigger net for job opportunities that will adequately respond to huge job needs of military veterans and their dependants.
Of course, we will be ramping up in all areas of our work and benefits to ensure quick and easy access. We believe that in order to deliver effectively we need to foster partnerships with all stakeholders including business, labour and civil society.
Partnership with SANMVA and Stakeholders
In that regard we on 27 September to 2 October 2013, we reconstituted the umbrella Associations of all military veterans formations the South African National Military Veterans Association. Plans are being finalised to ensure the building of its capacity to assist the DMV in the delivery of the benefits, to improve communication with all the military veterans.
Bringing services closer to Military veterans
We have also undertaken a massive programme of taking services closer to the Military Veterans. I that direction we have moved from the Denel Campus which was relatively inaccessible to military Veterans. We have now moved to 1052 Hatfield corner Festival and Acadia Streets not far from town.
Furthermore, all provincial coordinators of the DMV would have been employed by the beginning of April 2014 thus ensuring that Military Veterans would no longer have to travel to Pretoria to get services.
We are indeed far from meeting the numerous socio-economic needs of military veterans, but we are confident that, with the modest achievements we have made under serious budget constraints, and the bigger ones we intend to make as matter of urgency, we are indeed in the right direction and the future of military veterans can only but get brighter and brighter.
I thank you.
