Hon Chairperson, Deputy Minister, members and people in the gallery, we greet you all. The introduction of the Military Veterans Bill in Parliament marked a significant point in addressing the plight of our military veterans. The role of women in the liberation of this country, as has been said, is commendable. This being the month of celebrating our women, allow me to echo the gratitude and appreciation with regard to our female military veterans. Without their sacrifices we would not be here today.
An Umkhonto weSizwe commander, the late Commander Moses Mcane Mabhida, said: "A nation that forgets its past has no future". Our veterans are therefore our representatives in the journey that we have travelled.
Let me take you through the advisory council on military veterans, established by section 9. The task of the advisory council will be to advise the Minister on all matters that are related to the policies applicable to military veterans and provide expertise and understanding of military matters in general and military veterans in particular.
While it is understood that the advisory council's function is mainly to provide advice and support to the department, it is also expected to be diligent in executing its tasks in order to ensure that the benefits are rendered to military veterans in a very professional manner.
In the debate on the state of the nation address, the Deputy Minister, Comrade Thabang Makwetla, said: "Nothing for us without us". Therefore we are saying at least 50% of the members of the advisory board must be military veterans.
Hon Motimele has covered the role of the appeal board but I just want to add to what was said and say it is crucial that the independence of this board should be protected and supported and not interfered with. One member of the board needs to be an advocate or other legally qualified person. This will help resolve our fears of corruption and other issues. The person should have at least 10 years' experience and this should be seen as a way of ensuring that the rules of natural justice are followed in case of a dispute.
In conclusion, I want to say the advisory council and the appeal board will have to be effective and efficient to promote co-operation and co- ordination between these two bodies while assisting the department to execute this task.
The ANC supports this Bill and I am so happy that all the political parties support it. Hon members know that with us parliamentarians we have a number of bangages to support. So, whether the bandage goes to the arm or to the forehead - let us not worry about that. The reality is that we are all interested in supporting our veterans. I am so happy about the hon Tolo taking us even further and saying that we should look at biblical studies. He included biblical teachings because, really, we are all from one person. We are one country, in unison. The ANC supports this Bill.