The SANDF has absolved itself from any expected payments by widows and spouses. The spokesperson for the military, Andries Mahapa, told OFM News in a reply to questions that the mandate of paying death benefits to beneficiaries resides with the National Treasury (Government Pension Fund) and the responsibility of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans is the administrative facilitation of the pension release documentation.

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Mahapa said it is further confirmed that all payments by the SANDF Group Life Insurance Scheme life cover and funeral benefits are administered by way of General Regulation Chapter IV (4), determining the payment of death benefits for beneficiaries.

"As it may relate to outstanding death benefits and the request to make visible payment details, your attention is drawn to the following prescript: Government Gazette 17135 dated April 1996 (Rule 19) determines that “a member, pensioner or beneficiary has the right to have access, at all reasonable times at the registered office of the fund” and, read together with Rule 4.1.19(l), which stipulates that the fund “adheres to the principles of privileged information and confidentiality” as substituted by GN 1073 of August 2003".

Mahapa said the disclosure of information in respect of the payment of death benefits cannot be compiled, without written consent of the widow the journalist spoke to.

"However it is confirmed that all beneficiaries of the fallen members of the SANDF have been paid. Similarly, the disclosure of such payments cannot be done without the written consent of the widows," Mahapa further added.

But despite Mahapa's claims that widows and spouses have been paid all the benefits by the military, more widows have now come to the fore and aired their frustrations with the alleged non-payment.

The widows have accused the SANDF of wielding lies and deceit about the payments.

They told OFM News that in 2016 some families received R200 000 and pension funds as part of well-wishes and condolences from the military.

OFM News previously reported that a widow said her husband was on leave when he was summoned for deployment.

Thirteen South African soldiers died in a nine-hour battle in the capital city of Bangui. The 2013 reports suggest South Africa had about 200 troops stationed in the town to block Seleka rebels from seizing power.

The widow said they were told by a high-ranking official in a telephone conversation that they would never be paid this compensation because the government had given them jobs in different government departments.

She said the money was delayed by a letter identified as a mission letter or letter of mission, the existence of which the SANDF officials denied.

Even after means were made to retrieve the letter, which was meant to unlock the payments, the SANDF still failed to pay the families.

OFM News