Parliament, Thursday, 12 September 2024 - The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans was briefed by the Department of Military Veterans on the delivery of benefits to military veterans.
The department presented a report on the different benefits available for military veterans, which ranged from compensation for injuries suffered during service to housing, medical cover, education for veterans and their dependents, skills development, and small business support.
The Department of Military Veterans also reported on the verification process, which has only been completed in three Provinces (Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Limpopo).
The committee heard that a plan has been developed to complete the verification process in the remaining six provinces and the process will resume once the administration processes are finalised.
The department’s database has a total population of 86 321, comprising 67 029 alive military veterans and 19 292 deceased military veterans, excluding dependants. A process is underway to develop an integrated database management system that will make the database processes more efficient through automation.
However, the committee was not satisfied with the report, particularly its discussion of the slow pace of benefit payments, the building of houses for veterans, and the department’s return of unspent funds to the National Treasury.
The committee Chairperson, Mr Dakota Legoete, said it was unacceptable that 13 years after the legislation was promulgated, the department was still struggling to pay benefits to military veterans. “We were supposed to have paid everybody and be dealing with beneficiaries. The issue of benefits of military veterans is critical; they are people of interest and can be recruited by criminals for cash-in-transit crimes based on their skills; foreign intelligence agencies or rebel groups recruit them,” warned the Chairperson.
Mr Legeote also recommended decentralising the department’s services to all regions so military veterans can easily liaise with the department without travelling to Gauteng.
While he welcomed the department’s proposal to introduce amendments to the Act to clarify the definition of a military veteran and who qualifies for benefits, the committee Chairperson believes that on some of the issues, the legislation was clear; what was needed were regulations and policies.
He also advised the department to finalise collaborations with other state organs such as Human Settlements, Higher Education, SETAs, Public Works and the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority.
The department has committed to providing the committee with a detailed response to all questions and concerns raised by committee members and a comprehensive plan to address identified gaps.
The department is expected to update the committee within three months.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS, MR DAKOTA LEGOETE
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Sakhile Mokoena
Cell: 081 705 2130
E-mail: smokoena@parliament.gov.za
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