Tuesday, Vice President David Mabuza stated that the new pension fund for military veterans will be distributed once the Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans finalizes the necessary legislation.
Mabuza stated, “We are conscious of the urgency required to close the pension gap, but we ask our military veterans to be patient with the ministry, which is now occupied with the assignment.”
In Durban, the Vice President, in his capacity as chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Military Veterans, addressed veteran associations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa established the task force, chaired by the Deputy President, to provide political and structural support in addressing the concerns made by military veterans.
In a speech to the associations in Cape Town last week, Mabuza expressed his hope that the fund, which has been approved by the Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans, will be disbursed as early as December.
He explained to the guests that the task force was assisting the Department of Military Veterans to mobilize the additional resources necessary to provide the services mandated by Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011.
“There is no justifiable reason for these war heroes and heroines to wait indefinitely for something that has already been established by a Congressional Act,” he emphasized.
In addition, he stated that the government and the department are committed to “dispensing” services to those who are enduring hardship.
“We must thus work swiftly and with increased vigor to guarantee that everyone employed to help veterans does so effectively,” he emphasized.
“In all we do for war veterans, we must consult and include them, as they are the ones we strive to serve. They are the ones who battled selflessly to secure the freedom we enjoy today.”
Mabuza continued to honor individuals who contributed to the struggle.
“Today, we enjoy the fruits of democracy, which was earned through the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of those of you who fought against the repressive apartheid dictatorship,” he remarked.
“As a result, many of you missed out on opportunities to attend school and pursue gainful jobs, falling behind in every facet of life. You had no opportunity to establish families.”
Mabuza recognized that veterans lacked opportunity to enroll in medical assistance programs and even accumulate pension reserves.
“Because of this, our administration will continue to provide care for the heroes and heroines of our liberation war.”
In addition, he reassured them that the government was working hard to give them and their dependents with adequate health facilities, a respectable pension, housing, and equitable access to education.
There is no tolerance for personnel who lack compassion for the situation of military veterans in this department.
According to Mabuza, the team has established seven work streams to streamline the delivery of specialized service packages to military veterans.
These comprise the legislative review, pension and benefits, database verification, cleansing, and improvement, heritage and burial support, socioeconomic support, and the organizational redesign and communication work stream.
The team has visited eight provinces thus far, with one remaining.
“Through these visits, we hope to learn more about your daily lives and arduous obstacles from you. But also to share with you our efforts to implement countermeasures to these difficulties.”