The Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans is set to submit memoranda, through the Department of Military Veterans, on proposed amendments to legislation that unintentionally disadvantages some military veterans, thereby impacting on their socio-economic conditions.
This development emerged at the weekend when Deputy President David Mabuza met with the Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans.
In his capacity as chairperson, the Deputy President convened the meeting with the task team of Ministers, which consists of the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula; Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and the Deputy Minister of Military Veterans, Thabang Makwetla.
“We would like to assure the public and all military veterans that the Task Team on Military Veterans is seized with the matters that have been presented to the task team by the different formations, in terms of [the veterans’] well-being, as well as that of their families.
“Our military veterans fought for the freedom of the country and the defence of its territorial integrity. Therefore, we should as a country afford them dignity that is equal to their service. To us, this matter is at the heart of sustained social cohesion,” said Mabuza.
The Presidency said the Department of Military Veterans derives its legislative mandate from the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011, which requires it to provide national policy and standards on socio-economic support to military veterans and their dependants.
The task team received reports from the work streams established to aid in the streamlining of the work aimed at providing essential support to military veterans. The work streams are constituted to focus on the specific grievances raised by military veterans during the consultations held with the task team from November 2020. - SAnews.gov.za
