Defence minister Angie Motshekga has described the military veterans unit within her department as a wrecked and sinking ship that needs all the help it can get.
Motshekga revealed this before the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday, where the department of defence and military veterans (DMV) was presenting its audit outcomes and financial statements.
She said some officials even go as far as taking the department to court to get the R20,000 school fees benefit even though they are not on the list covered by the department.
“The main problem is within the department itself ... its ability to manage itself. If you look at the structure of DMV, you have 193 posts, 163 of which are occupied, but even within that, the people occupying these positions are not necessarily aligned with the job descriptions they are supposed to fulfil. For example, the internal auditor is a person who does not even have the qualifications to be there,” said Motshekga.
According to DMV deputy-general Nontobeko Mafu, senior officials within the department are not punished as they are protected by political parties in parliament.
The main problem is within the department itself ... its ability to manage itself.
— Angie Motshekga, defence minister
“In terms of political interests, I can give you images of members of this parliament — some even in this very house — who convene meetings at DMV. You go and discuss something strategic with officials, and then you come to parliament, and you are questioned about those very discussions.
“We have cases left, right and centre of millionaires who are military veterans. They stay in the city, yet they take the department to court because they are receiving benefits that should not apply to them — like paying R20,000 for school fees for children who don’t even attend the schools we are supposed to be covering,” said the minister.
“In management meetings, it is not unusual to get officials who are not members of that management structure sitting and, in fact, deliberating. Senior officials within the department of military veterans themselves complicate the process in that instead of servicing military veterans, they want to be serviced themselves,” said Mafu.
One of the committee members said this showed that the department of military veterans was failing to run the department because of pressure from political alliances.
Meanwhile, some of the critically injured soldiers who had been deployed to the DRC are home and will be receiving top medical care.
The soldiers were wounded in clashes between the M23 rebel forces and DRC government troops. Some suffered severe injuries. The country lost 14 soldiers earlier this month.
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said the remainder of the soldiers who were not as badly wounded are expected to arrive in the country this week.
“The SANDF, in co-ordination with other relevant role players, has worked tirelessly to ensure the safe return of our wounded members. We urge the public to respect and afford privacy to the injured members and their families during the healing process. The SANDF remains committed to the welfare of our soldiers,” said Dlamini.
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