CMVO Council of Military Veterans’ Organisations of South Africa

News July 2012

Department of Military Veterans Registration.

Most of the queries we are getting are about the rumours that there are huge payouts (R30,000) to everyone that was involved in the SADF before 1994. Please note that there are NO automatic payouts to anyone.
The new Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011 empowers the Department of Military Veterans to assist military veterans in a number of ways BUT there is a means test. The intent of the Act is to assist those military veterans who are in dire straits due to their military service. Only a few thousand will be assisted.
However there are positives for you to register – there will be benefits e.g. medical assistance at Military Hospitals, possible assistance in jobs (procurement for SANDF on a local basis), military veteran medal is a possibility etc.
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. 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 a contact form. Please complete it and return it to us ASAP using the submit button on the form, right hand top corner. NB This does not replace the DMV forms!
The CMVO will then send this information to DMV, as requested by them to us, so that when the next registration takes place DMV or CMVO will contact you so that we ensure you can get registered.
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 least 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 full investigation. We have found a number of organizations who make false promises for money or to get members.
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. We are using this to keep in touch with the latest information as well.
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
(c) 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 (c) 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;
(c) 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.

Then as a news item this media release form DMV
RESUMPTION OF THE NATIONAL MILITARY VETERANS’ DATABASE CLEAN-UP OPERATION MAY 28 – JUNE 30 2012.
MEDIA COMMUNIQUE: May 2011 FROM DEPARTMENT OF MIITARY VETERANS

1. What is the National Military Veterans’ Database? In 1994, military forces on all sides of the liberation war submitted certified personnel registers (CPRs). These registers enabled the integration of all forces into a single national military force - the South African National Defence Force. Many military personnel chose at that point to retire from military service and their names provided the basis to establish in 2005, the National Military Veteran’s Database.
For various reasons, some combatants of former liberation forces did not formally demobilise in 1994 and their names have yet to be captured in military veterans’ database.
AZANLA chose in 1994 not to participate in the integration process and no combatants of this formation are therefore, on the National Military Veterans’ Database. It has since been agreed, that persons whose names appear on the list presented by AZANLA to the DMV, will undergo verification to determine whether or not they are bonafide military veterans.
The military veterans’ database is therefore, a tool that enables the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) to authenticate the “military-veterans-status” of persons who approach the Department to belong to a family of like-minded people or to access socio-economic support services as prescribed in the Military Veterans’ Act 18 (2011). A credible and secure National Military Veterans’ Database is therefore, central to delivery on services to military veterans.

2. When will the DMV resume with the database clean-up process? The database clean-up process resumes on 28th May 2012 and it will run until 30th June. The Department calls on all military veterans already listed in the National Military Veterans’ Database. Military veterans not listed on the database must follow the process for registration in with the database.

3. Where exactly do we go in the Provinces to update our personal files in the National Military Veterans’ Database? Military veterans listed in the database must go to Municipality centres as follows for update of their personal files: (list with schedule attached).

DMV personnel listed under 5 can be contacted for specific registration dates per Municipality. The following military bases will also continue to serve as registration points for update of personal files of military veterans listed in the database: Gauteng Kensington Garrison in JHB & Thaba Tshwane
Limpopo Polokwane Regt Christiaan Beyers & Thohoyandou 15 SAI
North West Regt de la Rey Potchefstroom & Mafikeng 10 SAI BN
Free State Regt Bloemspruit Bloemfontein & Bethlehem 2FD Regt
Eastern Cape 14 SAI BN Mthatha & Prince Alfred Guard PE
Mpumalanga J Ops Facility in Nelspruit & Middelburg
Northern Cape Kimberly Regt & 8 SAI BN Upington
Western Cape Inf School in Outshoorn & Forte Capa in Good Wood
KZN Lords Ground in Durban & 5 SAI BN Ladysmith
Military veterans not listed in the database have no personal files to update in this process. They should rather submit their applications for registration to their organisations to initiate the process for listing on the National Military Veterans’ Database.
Update of personal files of military veterans must take place in the presence of DMV personnel to ensure that all information needed for provisioning of socio-economic support services is captured. It is also critical that both military veterans and DMV officials sign off on information captured in their files.

4. What documents are needed for update of personal files in the database? It is critical to bring certified copies of the following documents: • IDs of military veteran, spouse and children • Marriage certificate • Highest education certificate • Most recent school reports of individual children • Title Deed of family house • Death certificate where military veteran is deceased • Employer’s letter confirming employment • Company registration certificate where military veteran owns or holds shares in a business company

5. How will the Department assist military veterans who are too old or sick to update personal files in the military veterans’ database Military veterans’ organisations and families must inform the DMV about military veterans who need home-based information update services. The Department is ready to provide such services.

6. How do we determine whether or not my name has been captured in the National Military Veterans database? People can call the following people in the DMV to check whether or not they are listed in the database: Eastern Cape Mr Qondi Jali 082 338 1447 KZN Col Tom Seeta 082 957 3414 Limpopo WO Shaun Booth 071 380 4841 Bloemfontein Col Deon Smut 082 853 9843 Western Cape Col Tommy Van Zyl 082 403 3605 Northern Cape Col Smiley Mauyoma 073 397 1333 Gauteng Col Speco 082 323 5829 Mpumalanga Col Kiewiets 072 601 1663 North West Col Oktober 073 397 1333

7. How do we register with the National Military Veterans’ Database? People wishing to register with the national military veterans database need to submit their names for preliminary verification to relevant military veterans organisation i.e. UMkhonto we Sizwe, APLA or CMVO which caters mostly for those who served in the SADF and TBVC States. Military veterans’ organisations will forward verified names to the DMV for final verification by the National Military Veterans Verification Panel. AZANLA combatants will be included in the national military veterans’ verification process - which will result in the registration of bonafide military veterans with the National Military Veterans Database. (CMVO is trying to establish how this should be done. We have tried to set up a meeting with the DMV in this regard.)
Persons wishing to register with the database without membership with any military veterans’ organisation have by law, the right to forward their names directly to the DMV for verification.

8. How do dependants of deceased military veterans access socio-economic support services? Dependants of deceased military veterans are urged to also check with military veterans’ organisations whether the names of their spouses or parents appear on the database. Where this is confirmed, dependants are called upon to go to locations of the database clean-up process in their Provinces, to update personal files of their deceased spouses or parents. This is critical to ensure that socio-economic support services are accessed by eligible dependants as defined by law.

9. Is it legal to base service provision to military veterans on the database? Yes. Section 6 of the Military Veterans Act establishes the linkages between an efficiently managed database and provision of socio-economic support services and military veterans not registered with the database will find it difficult to access socio-economic support services through the DMV.

10. Do people with force numbers automatically qualify for registration with the National Military Veterans Database? No. not all with force numbers are military veterans. Many civilians who have served in the South African Defence Force and more recently in the SANDF have force numbers. A different verification process will apply for those with force numbers but they too, must have their “military veterans bonafides” confirmed.

11. There is talk about lump sum payment to beneficiaries of deceased military veterans. Is this true? The Department of Military Veterans and the South African National Military Veterans’ Association (SANMVA) (and CMVO)distance themselves from rumours that military forces of all former military forces or the SANDF, will upon registration with the database qualify for a lump sum to be awarded by the Department of Military Veterans.
The DMV and SANMVA also distance themselves from sale of registration forms. It is fraudulent and criminal to sell database registration forms to military veterans. This is a service the DMV is mandated by law to render to military veterans and Government provides resources for service provision.
Military veterans are urged to report any sale of registration forms to 082 338 1447 with details that will enable the DMV and the police to follow up on this matter.

12. Do people of other countries who provided support on all sides of the liberation war also qualify for socio-economic support services? No. The law is very clear on this matter. It is only military veterans of this nation, eligible for socio-economic support services who must access such support.

13. CALLING ON ALL MILITARY VETERANS AND MILITARY VETERANS’ ORGANISATIONS!!! The Department of Military Veterans calls on all military veterans listed in the National Military Veterans’ Database and dependants where military veterans are deceased, to use this opportunity to update information in personal files.
The Department is also calling on SANMVA and Military Veterans’ Organisations to urgently forward names of members yet to be verified and declared bonafide military veterans to the DMV.
(As soon as we get more information we will let you know. It appears that some registration points are working very well. Some military veterans have been turned away due to the fact that the certified stamp on their documents is older than 30 days. Some of the required documents are difficult to obtain, title deeds etc. We do not understand why these documents are being called for form everyone instead of only when you require assistance.)