Question NW1816 to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
12 July 2023 - NW1816
Groenewald, Dr PJ to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
With reference to the website of the Department of Military Veterans with regard to the pension of military veterans under the heading Military Veterans Pensions Frequently Asked Questions under point 13 regarding limitations and qualifications, where it is stated that former conscripts as well as volunteers of the SA National Defence Force do not qualify for the specified pension, which is contrary to the law that acknowledges this category as military veterans, what are the reasons for excluding this category of members, as it is contrary to the definition of a military veteran?
Reply:
1. The department has reviewed the policy based on the inputs received following the publishing and tabling of the draft regulations in Parliament in December 2022. The department has aligned the policy to the final 2023 Regulations following inputs received after gazetting the Regulations on the 25 April 2023.
2. The Military Veterans as defined in the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011 will be eligible to apply for a military veteran's pension. The eligibility criteria has been defined as follows in the Regulations that were gazzeted on the 25 April 2023.
An individual must:-
a. meet the requirements of the definition in the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011
b. be listed in the Military Veterans database
c. be a citizen of the Republic of South Africa
d. not be receiving any other state provided pension or social grant, unless
the pension currently being received is lower than the proposed amount
to be paid in the military veterans pension.