Briefing by the director general , Mr Tsepe Motumi

27 September 2013

Venue: GCIS Media Briefing Room, Tshedimosetso House 1035 Francis Baard, Cnr Festival Street, Hatfield
Time: 10:00

On behalf of the DMV I welcome you all to this media briefing.

The purpose of the briefing is to inform the media, all the various stakeholders, the public and most importantly the military veterans community, about a very important milestone in the history of the military veterans in South Africa, and the DMV in particular viz. where we are with the preparations for this historic conference of establishing a national umbrella Association off military veterans organisations as the Conference will take place from the 28th September 2013 – 01 October 2013 at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
600 military veterans from across the spectrum of the military veterans’ community as well as guests such as the military attaches, members of the defence industry are expected to attend this significant conference. Amongst those will be the President of the RSA and Patron in Chief of the Military Veterans, honourable JG Zuma, who will deliver the keynote address on the 30th September 2013 under the theme “Uniting Military Veterans for access to benefits”

The Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Mrs Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula and Thabang Makwetla respectively, the President of SANMVA Mr Kebby Maphatsoe as well as the leadership of the various Associations of Military veterans will also be in attendance.

The conference will amongst others deliberate on the following critical aspects :

The constitution for the new umbrella association
The experiences , achievements and challenges that faced the outgoing SANMVA
The election of the leadership of the new umbrella Association
The partnership between the Association the DMV and government as a whole
The mechanisms for accelerating delivery of the benefits stipulated in section 5 of the Military Veterans Act, 18 of 2011. (Act)

Establishment of umbrella body for military veterans

Section 7 of the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011 enjoins the Director General of the DMV to:
(l) (a) The Director-General must as soon as possible after the commencement of this Act establish a body which is to be an association representing military veterans' organisations nationally.

(b) The Minister must publish the date of establishment by notice in the Gazette.

(2)The Director-General must in conjunction with military veterans' organisations create mechanisms to ensure that the association serves as an umbrella structure representing military veterans' organisations.

(3) The mechanisms contemplated in subsection (2) must at least result in the association:

representing military veterans' organisations in a fair manner;
conducting its business in a fair, transparent and accountable manner;
holding free, fair and regular elections; and
at least once a year reporting to the Minister on its activities.

(4) (a) A military veterans' organisation is not obliged to join the association.

(b) A military veterans' organisation contemplated in paragraph (a) may engage the Minister or other persons or structures established or referred to in this Act, provided such organisation is recognised by the Minister as a non-governmental organisation or association established in respect of military veterans that lawfully represents the interests of military veterans.

As part of the preparations for the Conference, the DMV has over the past two months held extensive consultative meetings with all military veterans’ formations. These include MKMVA, APLAMVA which is affiliated to SANMVA, AZANLA, former TBVC states MVA’s, CMVO SANMVA, MK Military ex Liberation Military War veterans, SACC, APLAMVA not affiliated to SANMVA, the Ex Combatants Foundation, the SADFMVA.

The DMV also held a two day consultative workshop in Birchwood Conference Centre with about 70 representatives from the various Associations.

Key to all these processes has been and will continue to be to ensure that the association is established and functions in a fair, inclusive, just, transparent and accountable manner at all times.
We envisage that this process will go a long way in enhancing amongst others

Unity within the military veterans community;
The honouring of military veterans
Restoration of the dignity of military veterans
Enhance skills development for military veterans
Ensure empower of military veterans to be self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to social cohesion and nation building.
To accelerate the delivery of benefits to military veterans as stipulated in Section 5 of the military veterans Act
To strengthen advocacy on military veterans matters
To build partnerships with the government, business, labour, civil society as well as other regional and international formations of military veterans across the world.

All military veterans who would like to know more about the Conference can contact their respective Associations or the DMV at 012 671 2623 or www.dmv.gov.za. We call on all military veterans and their Associations to cooperate with the DMV in ensuring that we deliver a vibrant national umbrella association that will work diligently with commitment and dedication to serve the military veterans at all times.
We also call upon all stakeholders such as business, labour, civil society professionals and indeed communities at large to work with us in ensuring that we build a better life for all military veterans.
We dare not forget that our country is free and is about celebrate twenty years of democracy due to the supreme sacrifices made by military veterans.