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STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF MILITARY VETRANS ORGANISATIONS

The Department of Military Veterans, DMV, is updating the existing military veterans’ database of some 57,000 members. They are now also adding new military veterans to this database. The reason being that they need to know which military veterans need assistance and to make contact if required. This database will also be used to make decisions with regards to military veterans needs in future.

In order to assist any military veteran to ensure that they are registered, the CMVO has created the attached contact form. Please return to us ASAP using the submit button on the form, right hand top corner. NB This does not replace the DMV forms! It was pointed out that the previous form was confusing between the DMV form, so a new one has been created.

The CMVO will then send this information to DMV so that when the next registration takes place DMV or CMVO will contact you so that we ensure you can get registered. Provincial co-ordinators of the DMV are currently planning on revisiting the all 9 Provinces to finalise the updating of information of members who are already on the database. Dates and venues will be made available when determined. This is being done during June/July 2012.

Why should you register? For your own peace of mind, if you become ill and need assistance at one of the Military hospitals, you need to be a registered military veteran. This will ensure that the medics can attend to you immediately. Also if you do need any other assistance at less you have already registered. This does not mean that you are automatically going to get any benefits at all — there will be means tests to ensure only those that really need assistance will get it.

Fraud. Please report anyone that is charging for DMV registration forms, they are free of charge. Also anyone that makes promises that there are automatic pensions or payouts to any military veteran. Only the DMV can do this after investigation. We have found a number of organizations who make false promises for money.

The new Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011 has been approved in its original format so everyone with a force number and not dishonourably discharged is eligible to be a military veteran. So the petition and lots of queries has had it’s affect. Thanks to all those that supported and assisted us.

New organizations. Should you be aware of any organization that wishes to get involved with the CMVO so that they are kept up to date with what is happening with military veterans, please let them contact us. If there is a group of military veterans who wish to start a group please let us know so that we can try to give you guidelines and ideas of how to go about it.

Join an organization. Any individual who wishes to join a military veteran organization should inform the CMVO which Service, Corps or unit they belonged to so that we can direct them to an organization as well as where they live.

Weekly newsletter. If you are interested in getting a weekly newsletter with information about military veterans please let us know.

Contact CMVO. CMVO is now on Facebook, look under cmvo for open group and page (Council of Military Veterans’ Organisation of South Africa (CMVO)). Join us and lets start communicating with each other. Also on our website www.cmvo.org or email us on admin@cmvo.org or fax 0866848592. Please only phone if emergency, one person cannot handle everyone’s phone calls.

WHO IS A MILITARY VETERAN?

In terms of the Military Veterans Act, 2011 (Act 18 of 2011), the definition of a military veteran is as follows:

‘‘military veteran’’ means any South African citizen who–

(a) rendered military service to any of the military organisations, statutory and non-statutory, which were involved on all sides of South Africa’s Liberation War from 1960 to 1994;
(b) served in the Union Defence Force before 1961; or
© became a member of the new South African National Defence Force after 1994,

and has completed his or her military training and no longer performs military service, and has not been dishonourably discharged from that military organisation or force: Provided that this definition does not exclude any person referred to in paragraph (a), (b) or © who could not complete his or her military training due to an injury sustained during military training or a disease contracted or associated with military training;

BENEFITS:
- Take note that registration on this database does not automatically qualify members for any benefits, registered members will still apply at relevant Departments and will be subjected to a means test.

- There are still individuals spreading rumours that Military Veterans of the former SADF are going to receive so-called “pay-outs”, “refunds”, “packages”, “back-pay” etc. These are false rumours and must be ignored. Members are urged NOT TO GIVE BANKING DETAILS to so-called Agents promising such pay-outs and DO NOT PAY ANY ADMIN FEES in this regard.

- The Military Veterans’ Act was signed on 2 Dec 2011 and it is envisaged that it will come into effect during the 2nd Quarter of 2012. The Military Veterans’ Act, 2011 (Act 18 of 2011) stipulates that qualifying Military Veterans in need of must get assistance with certain benefits, including:

“Benefits relating to military veterans

5. (1) The benefits relating to a military veteran are the following:

(a) Compensation to military veterans who sustained disabling injuries or severe
psychological and neuro-psychiatric trauma or who suffer from a terminal
disease resulting from their participation in military activities;
(b) dedicated counselling and treatment to military veterans who suffer from
serious mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder or related conditions;
© honouring and memorialising fallen military veterans;
(d) education, training and skills development;
(e) facilitation of employment placement;
(f) facilitation of or advice on business opportunities;
(g) subsidisation or provisioning of public transport;
(h) pension;
(i) access to health care;
(j) housing; and
(k) burial support.”

- These benefits are currently being negotiated with the different Government Departments who are going to make it available. These include Departments of Human Settlements, Transport, Defence, Social Development, National Treasury etc.

- Members will be submitted to a Means Test (still being developed) to determine who will qualify.

Godfrey Giles
CMVO: Chairman