By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Deputy President David Mabuza has announced the military veterans pension fund has been approved and payments will be made soon.
Director-general of defence and military veterans said R37m would be made available in the 2022/23 financial year. A further R102m would be made available in the 2023/24 financial year and R109m in 2024/25.
Mabuza said the team had done extensive work and payments should be made as early as December.
“It is for this reason that President Cyril Ramaphosa established the Presidential Task Team on the affairs of Military Veterans in the latter part of 2020, under the leadership of the Deputy President, to tackle the concerns raised on the livelihoods of military veterans, Mabuza said.”
Mabuza, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans, visited the Western Cape to hold engagements with military veteran associations.
So far, the team has already visited six provinces — Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga and North West.
“In our initial meetings, all Premiers were called to assist in the amicable resolution of the challenges faced by military veterans. We believe that provinces have a critical role to play in supporting military veterans, as they are closer to where our veterans live,” the Deputy President said.
Since then, Mabuza said, they have made an effort to interact directly with military veterans in their respective home provinces to address key issues that need to be resolved.
While government has been working around the clock to cater for the veterans’ needs, Mabuza acknowledged some obstacles that caused delays in the delivery of benefits.
The Deputy President said the COVID-19 pandemic and constrained fiscal environment have had an impact on the Department of Military Veterans’ operations and performance. In addition, he said implementation of big impact projects was also awaiting approval, while the management of the department’s database posed a challenge as well.
“Despite the difficulties we have encountered, we have made significant progress in addressing some of your challenges, including those faced by military veterans in the Western Cape,” he told veterans.