Mgcinisihlalo, aBaphathiswa abakhoyo, mandibhotise ngale mvakwemini ndisithi ndiyayithobela yonke imiqathango. [Chairperson, Ministers who are present, and all protocol observed, let me greet you this afternoon.]
The Presidential Proclamation on the establishment of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, Government Gazette 32 844, dated 28 December 2009, ensured that military veterans are, for the very first time, catered for at an executive level. The intervention by the President was occasioned, in particular, by the plight of military veterans, being former members of the liberation armies.
Ndithetha ngoMkhonto weSizwe, ne-Azanian People's Liberation Army Military Veterans Association, APLAMVA, ezimalungu azo ikati ilele eziko. [I am referring to uMkhonto weSizwe and the Azanian People's Liberation Army Military Veterans Association, APLAMVA, whose members are poor.]
This will also deal with the verification of military veterans and those who were deliberately forgotten by those who created them.
Apha, mzontsundu, ndithetha ngamagqala angalufumaniyo uncedo ngokubhekisele kwezi zinto zilandelayo: izindlu; ukufikelela eziklinikhi; imfundo nokufundela izakhono; ukungxwelerheka kwawo emfazweni ngokwasemzimbeni, emoyeni, nangazo zonke ezinye iindlela. La magqala kufuneka encediwe ukuze akwazi ukukhathalela iintsapho zawo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Here, fellow Africans, I am speaking about the military veterans who are not getting help with regard to the following: Houses; access to clinics; education and skills training; war injuries, whether those injuries are physical or emotional; or other suffering. These veterans must be assisted so that they can take care of their families.]
Members of the former liberation armies were not gainfully remunerated during service in their respective armies. Today they are worse off because they were not in a formal employment environment. They could not possibly do the things which gainfully employed people normally do, that is to take care of their retirement needs and their families.
The constitutional provision of equality of all citizens includes those who served in the military, regardless of the military formations they served in. All military veterans are, therefore, entitled to equal access to benefits and services as provided for by government.
The commitment and generosity of government administrations worldwide, in the quest to support military veterans, is invariably linked to the extent to which ruling parties believe that soldiers contributed immensely to the attainment of their political goals. For example, Algeria and the United States of America, with their diverse historical backgrounds and government policies, demonstrate this point.
The women and men in uniform who served in the military, be it in the liberation forces or in conventional armies, rendered a unique service that cannot be measured only in monetary terms because of the immense sacrifices involved. The rigorous discipline involved in training and engagement in armed conflict, including the possibility of dying for gains that are not for individual benefit, compel government and society to feel indebted for the services rendered honourably to the people. This is the essence of those who are soldiers in a society.
However, in the context of the South African situation, where there is competition for scarce resources, the government, with its meagre resources, will roll out these benefits and services to the needy and deserving beneficiaries and their dependants by using the means test. This is not all.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon government to also utilise military veterans as a resource, considering their skills and expertise across the spectrum of the security cluster. The department should utilise the military veterans' expertise that is lying untapped.
It is necessary that military veterans be involved in internal matters of peacekeeping and the fostering of patriotism and social cohesion among the youth. The expertise that military veterans possess can be used in the national interest, and thus more social cohesion or consciousness will be entrenched in the South African populace.
Mgcinisihlalo, ndithetha ngamagqala oMkhonto weSizwe ... [Chairperson, I am referring to the veterans of uMkhonto weSizwe ...]
... who, during the Public Service strike, also heeded the call to go out and assist the SA National Defence Force in taking care of patients at the Natalspruit Hospital, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.
UMphathiswa sele eyikhankanyile into yokuba kulo nyaka amagqala oMkhonto weSizwe aza kubhiyozela iminyaka engama-50 ngowe-16 kweyeNkanga. Apha sithetha ngamagorhakazi namagorha alele ukuphumla, adla umhlalaphantsi nadla amazimba athi anikela ngobomi bawo akwabeka neempilo zawo esichengeni esilwela ukuba ilizwe loobawomkhulu lifumane le nkululeko ixhanyulwa ngabo bonke abemi beli lizwe. Yiyo loo nto sisithi: "Halala, maz' enethole!" Siwothulela umnqwazi amakhaya, izihlobo nezalamane ezasiboleka oonyana neentombi zawo ukuze babe lidini lesizwe. Nangamso! AboMkhonto weSizwe bathi makube chosi kube hele!
Ndingekayiqukumbeli intetho yam, mandithi esi sixa-mali sinikwe iSebe loKhuselo naMagqala oMkhosi asenalanga; siyayivuma loo nto. Loo nto ayithethi ukuba masingazinanzi iinkqubo nezinto ekufuneka zifezekisiwe. Siyile komiti siyambongoza undlunkulu wezezimali ukuba alithele chatha eli sebe kolu lwabiwo-mali. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[The Minister has already mentioned that this year the veterans of uMkhonto weSizwe will be celebrating their 50-year anniversary 16 November 2011. We are talking about heroines and heroes who have died, pensioners and those who are still alive, who put their health at risk to fight for the land of our forefathers so that we can get this freedom which is enjoyed by all the citizens of South Africa. That is why we are saying: "Congratulations! Thank you." We thank the families, friends and relatives who lent us their sons and daughters so that they could be a sacrifice for our nation. Thank you. Those who belong to uMkhonto weSizwe, we say, "Let there be light; all must be well!"
While I am still on the floor, let me say the amount which is allocated to the Department of Defence and Military Veterans is not enough; we agree with that. That does not mean we must not take note of the programmes and other things that are supposed to be accomplished. This committee is pleading with the Department of Finance to allocate more money to it in this Budget.]
With this year's allocation being approximately 1,14% of GDP, against an international norm of around 2%, the challenging position of the Defence Force presents distinctive demands to the defence fraternity.
Kungoko ke sisithi siyalwamkela olu hlahlo-lwabiwo-mali lubekwa ngohloniphekileyo nobekekileyo uNksz Lindiwe Sisulu phantsi kwesi simo kuba lilinge eliya empumelelweni. Ndisatshaya. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[That is why we say we support this Budget Vote tabled by the hon Minister, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, because it paves the way to a better future. Thank you. [Applause.]]