The Department of Military Veterans needs about R489m to assist 11‚600 veterans with their basic and tertiary education studies this year.
The department received 9‚645 applications for the 2018 academic year. Of these 4‚054 are new applications.
This is according to the department’s acting director-general, Nontobeko Mafu, who spoke on Wednesday at a joint media briefing with the South African National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA), in Pretoria.
"It should be noted, however, that the number is expected to rise to 11‚600 as 2‚015 continuing applicants from 2017 have not yet submitted their applications for assistance in 2018."
Mafu said the department allocated R155m for educational support and it needed R334m to support the possible 11‚600 applicants.
He said supporting education was "one of the most critical benefits" the department provided in changing the lives of military veterans and their beneficiaries.
The Department of Military Veterans began assisting military veterans in 2013 by taking in 200 students for basic and higher education.
The department supported 4‚966 veterans with basic education and 2‚746 with tertiary education in the 2017 academic year.
"These numbers have increased considerably compared to the department’s forecasting due to the changing socio-economic conditions of military veterans and the increased awareness amongst military veterans about the benefit‚" Mafu said.
The department said the Treasury cut its budget by 5% for the 2018-19 financial year‚ reducing the pre-allocated budgets to R627m.
The department said it had paid out R177.5m for the 2017 academic year for basic and tertiary education. The department also needed R288.5m to carry over the current 7‚606 beneficiaries.
"The department is aware that there were glitches in payments in the previous academic year and the department is working on the glitches. The department takes full responsibility for the defaulted payments and assures that this matter is addressed as a matter of urgency, and therefore calls upon all the affected institutions to treat the payment-defaulting students considerately."
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