Summary of the Military Veterans Act

The 2011 Military Veterans Act was promulgated into law by the State President, J.G. Zuma in December 2011.

According to the Act, a Military Veteran is:

“A South African citizen who rendered military service to any of the military organisations, which where involved on all the sides of South Africa’s liberation war from 1960 to 1994, those who served in the Union Defence Force before 1961, and those who became members of the South African National Defence Force after 1994, and has completed his/her military training and no longer performs military duties, and has not been dishonourably discharged from that military organisation”.

The Act aims to:

• Establish a framework for the implementation of the national policy and standards governing Military Veterans affairs.
• Improve the quality of life of Military Veterans and their dependants so they may realise their socio-economic progress.
• Recognise and honour Military Veterans in life and remembering them in death for their sacrifices on behalf of the nation.

The Military Veterans Act places an obligation for the state to roll out the following proposed services and benefits to the Military Veterans and their dependents:

• Compensation
• Military Veterans Pension
• Housing
• Free access to military health services
• Free/subsidized access to public transport
• Skill acquisition and education support
• Job placement
• Burial support
• Entrepreneurial support services
• Counselling

All the proposed benefits will be accessed through a means test. In other words, each individual application will be evaluated on a needs assessment and case by case basis.