{"id":92269,"date":"2015-06-22T10:53:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T08:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/92269\/military-veterans-set-to-enjoy-their-benefits\/"},"modified":"2015-06-22T10:53:49","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T08:53:49","slug":"military-veterans-set-to-enjoy-their-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2015\/06\/22\/military-veterans-set-to-enjoy-their-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Military veterans set to enjoy their benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

The metro played host to the Gauteng Provincial Steering Committee (GPSC)\u2019s outreach programme for military veterans at the Germiston City Hall on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Among the departments present was the Department of Military Veterans (DMV).<\/p>

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\u201cThe military veterans department was established in 2010 and the Military Veterans Act was approved in 2011, which outlines the benefits military veterans may qualify for,\u201d said David Rampedi, provisional co-ordinator for Gauteng\u2019s Department of Military Veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the DMV, we are here to make military veterans aware that we are in existence and we want to call upon all the military veterans to come forth and register so they can start enjoying their benefits.<\/p>

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\u201cWe are the legislative custodians of the military veterans and, by military veterans, I am referring to former liberation forces like MK, APLA and the former SADF, and they are included in the Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Act addresses the benefits that are to be accorded to military veterans such as military compensation, a health access benefit and education and burial support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the health access benefits, the veterans and ex-combatants will be issued a card which will enable them to consult with military hospitals and other private doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although most of the benefits will be enjoyed by most veterans and ex-combatants, Rampedi said the military compensation is not for all.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe military compensation focuses on all the veterans who were injured during the struggle while the education support is for the veterans, their spouses and children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to claim these benefits, veterans first need to be registered to the National Database Department of the Military Veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cA service certificate from their respective forces, a force number and a serving certificate from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are needed to validate each claim.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t only register those who were in exile, we have other people who were fighting in the underground units and although most of them didn\u2019t have force numbers, we have a process that we use to verify their membership of such units.<\/p>\n

\u201cA verification process is where a panel will sit and speak to a person claiming to be a military veteran or ex-combatant but who lacks the required documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also encourage the families of late military veterans to come forward with the required documentation and claim on behalf of their beloved veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rampedi also told the GCN that the department aims to better the lives of the military veterans and ex-combatants.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe department aims to restore the dignity of the military veterans and improve their socio-economic conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have veterans who are homeless and unemployed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oratile Makgoba, deputy director of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG)\u2019s Military Veterans Office was also present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are doing today is called household profiling of military veterans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to check if all the military veterans and ex-combatants, who are residing in Gauteng, are happy with the type of services we are rendering to them and whether they have access to those services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need some kind of interaction with them, that is why we held this outreach programme and it is not only in Ekurhuleni but in all the regions of Gauteng.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a plight here as the government wants to provide services but we have to quantify the number of people who we have to give services to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to establish the number of the beneficiaries per region; currently the database, from the department of military veterans, for Gauteng only stands at 5 390.\u201d<\/p>\n

Makgoba also said the programme is used to listen to the socio-economic challenges which are faced by the ex-combatants daily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to know how many have houses, how many are living in rented housing or bond houses or living in informal settlements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also want to establish how many are unemployed, it is important to know because we have to assist them with job placements, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Peace Accord Trust (NPAT) provides post-traumatic therapy and psychotherapy to the military veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cMilitary veterans are different kinds of victims who need a special kind of psychology, so Ecotherapy is used,\u201d said the national psycho-social support programme\u2019s manager, Bongi Ngobese.<\/p>\n

\u201cEcotherapy is a form of psychology which is specifically designed for military veterans and our facilitators are trained in America as it is new to South Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the factors affecting military veterans is that their families look at them and ask what they have to show for their fighting. This and other things builds anger in most of the military veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the lack of recognition, the military veterans feel that they were heroes back then and today they are nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis, together with the trauma they carry, results in substance abuse and them being suicidal.<\/p>\n

\u201cEcotherapy is powerful as after it you find them (military veterans) saying they are able to smile and move away from the anger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe department of military veterans is calling on all the military veterans and ex-combatants to come register in order to qualify for their benefits,\u201d concluded Rampedi.<\/p>\n

For more information residents can contact the call centre on 080 232 3244 or visit the Department of Military Veterans offices at 323 Festival Street, Hatfield in Pretoria.<\/p>\n