The 2011 Military Veterans Act defines a military veteran as any South African who provided military service to one of the former statutory or liberation armies that were engaged in the country’s liberation war from 1960 to 1993; served in the former Union Defense Force before 1961; or joined the SANDF after 1994 and has completed his or her military training and no longer performs military duties, and has not been disqualified.
How long must you have served before you are eligible for veteran’s benefits?
The whole time that a person is called or ordered to active duty, or at least 24 consecutive months of active duty, must be served in order to be qualified for the majority of veteran benefits.
How many former soldiers reside in South Africa?
Nearly 81 000 South African military veterans are included in the country’s official database, with 41 446 of them being from the previous SADF. 14 804 are contributed by the existing national defense force, of which APLA contributes 5 284 and MK 13 473. Each of the two former homeland defense forces, Transkei (1980) and Bophuthatswana (1794), contributes more than 1,000 veterans to the total number of veterans in the country.
