Ladies and gentlemen of the media
Representatives of the Military Veterans
Stakeholders here present
DMV and GCIS colleagues

Good morning and welcome to this media briefing. The objective of the briefing is to inform you about an important programme and campaign that we as the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) will be embarking upon aimed at improving the health conditions of Military Veterans.

From Tuesday, 15 October 2013 to 4 December 2013, the DMV will be embarking on a major campaign nationwide to issue medical health cards and to conduct health screening for Military Veterans.

The honourable Minister of Defence and Military Veterans’, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will officially launch the campaign at the Durban International Air force Base, at 9h00 on the 15 October 2013. This campaign will be in the form of provincial road shows wherein all provinces will be visited and the campaign theme is: “Your health is our concern".

Ladies and gentlemen, we as the DMV undertake this campaign as part of our Socio Economic Support Programme whose objective is to provide health care and well-being support to military veterans.

This is first and foremost in line with government’s overall objectives of providing quality health services as well as building healthy communities.

This is of course in line with the stipulations of Section 5 (1) of the Military Veterans Act 18, of 2011, which amongst others inter alia states “The benefits relating to military veterans are the following; access to health care".

Accordingly a total of 4800 Military Veterans are to be issued with these cards during the campaign. A sum of R2 million has been set aside to ensure delivery of this critical service during this financial year 2013/14.

The DMV embarks on this campaign after observing that most military veterans call for healthcare when they are already too sick and without proper authorisation to access the South African Medical Health Services facilities. This is a matter of grave concern which through this campaign and other interventions we seek to redress decisively.

Now perhaps more than ever before the country needs the vital skills, experience and expertise that military veterans’ possess, in order to advance this critical goal of consolidating reconciliation, social cohesion and nation building. In that regard their health is very critical in enabling them to contribute effectively and efficiently.

This campaign is therefore also aimed at ensuring prevention of ill health; early detection; and treatment of illness as well as ensuring that healthcare is given to qualifying military veterans. Those who qualify are military veterans who are registered on the DMV database and earning an income of less than R300 000 per annum.

Letters have been written and sms’s sent to military veterans’ who qualify and will therefore be receiving these services during the campaign. The list of targeted military veterans has been sent to KwaZulu-Natal provincial military veterans Association structures, as well as other provinces. We therefore are going to work with them closely to ensure the smooth running of the programme.

Those who will be receiving these services should bring along the following documents: an ID, proof of income if employed, (or affidavit if unemployed), and the letter that they have received from the DMV.

The campaign begins from 15 to 17 in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) where over 800 cards will be issued to the identified military veterans. As indicated earlier, on the 15th Minister Mapisa-Nqakula together with representatives of the KZN provincial government and the eThekwini Municipality will kick-start this campaign at 09h00 at the Air Force Base, Durban International.

The next round of this campaign in KZN will be on 17 October 2013 at Bluff Sickbay in Durban. The campaign will then follow the schedule as attached in this statement. All these programmes as attached per province will kick- start at 9h00 in the mornings. We therefore call on the Military Veterans' Associations to assist in ensuring that the schedules are observed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, alongside the issuing of the medical health cards to military veterans will be the conducting of the health and wellness screening wherein the military veterans will be given voluntary check-ups on various illnesses as well as counselling.

These medical health care cards will ensure that military veterans are provided with free medical services in the different military health establishments across the country.

The DMV undertakes this programme working in partnership with the South African Medical Health Services of the South African National Defence Force. We are also working in close partnership with the Military Veterans Healthcare Practitioners Association (MVHPA). This is an NGO of medical doctors with which in May this year we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide professional services including counselling to military veterans.

Let me take this opportunity to also say that this campaign takes place against the backdrop of a very successful National Conference that assisted the DMV in establishing an Umbrella Association representing military veterans nationally.

The Conference agreed to dissolve the old South African National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA) which had been established under the old legislation and was functioning under a Directorate that was within the Department of Defence.

The conference thus resolved to establish a new Umbrella Association that would be in line with stipulations of the Military Veterans Act 18 of 2011 in particular Section 7 of the Act. The conference delegates democratically agreed that the name of the Umbrella Association would remain SANMVA though they emphasised that the new SANMVA will be conducting its business giving more added attention to working in a fair, transparent, inclusive and accountable manner as pronounced in the Act.

As the DMV, true to our principled commitment to the spirit of ensuring that we deliver benefits and services fairly and in a transparent manner to all deserving bona fide military veterans, we commit to work closely with the newly established Association during this campaign.

We would also like to emphasise that we will also be working with those that have chosen to be outside the umbrella Association to ensure that no deserving military veterans is left out. As we did in preparations towards the Conference to make sure that we engage all military veterans, whether recognised or not yet recognised by the Minister as required. As the DMV we shall always open our doors to all military veterans across the spectrum.

We call upon all military veterans and all stakeholders who work together with us as we seek to honour, restore dignity and empower military veterans for nation building and the building of a better life for all.