‘A betrayal of those who fought for freedom’: DMV in free-fall, says EFF MP

Carl Niehaus, an EFF member of parliament, says a June 3, 2026 Auditor‑General briefing to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans shows the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) is in accelerating collapse. He told JoburgEtc the department’s failures are now harming veterans who rely on pensions, healthcare, housing and burial support.

Auditor‑General briefing: stark metrics

The Auditor‑General’s high‑level briefing found 63% implementation of prior audit action plans and zero progress in four critical high‑risk areas. Financial health has regressed, the briefing said, and R82.6 million in material irregularities have been referred to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

Service delivery and procurement failures

Niehaus highlighted multiple procurement and asset management problems noted in the briefing. A R53 million tender for about 7,000 tablets intended to upskill veterans has left the devices unused for years. Pothole machines procured for skills development at over R27 million (plus maintenance) also remain idle despite being formally released for departmental use.

Assets cleared but unused

According to the timeline Niehaus set out, on 1 October 2024 the Acting Director‑General enquired with the South African Police Service. Lieutenant Colonel H.J.M. Rousseau replied seven days later that, following National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) investigations, the machines could be deployed. Yet presentations in June 2026 indicated the machines were still unused.

Financial and governance breakdown

The department has reprioritised funds amid pension payment pressures, and the AGSA disclosed R2.5 million in irregular burial expenditure. Niehaus also cited procurement contracts extended month‑to‑month with alleged illegal variations, paralysed asset management and delays in investigating assets more than a year without probing R5 million in major assets and R690,000 in minor assets.

Vacancies, weak controls and ongoing probes

Niehaus said the Director‑General post and ten senior management positions have been vacant for over 36 months. Internal audit and risk management structures are incomplete, the database unit faces irregularities under investigation, and consequence management is absent. He said these gaps have coincided with investigations by the Hawks and the SIU.

Court order and database failures

On 11 May 2026, Gauteng High Court Judge Kubushi ordered the DMV in response to litigation by the Council of Military Veterans Organisations (CMVO SA) to register qualifying veterans on the national database and to process healthcare benefits within 90 working days of application, and to reconstitute the Appeals Board. Niehaus warned the DMV may lack capacity to meet this deadline because of vacancies, unreliable systems and ongoing probes.

Calls for accountability and remedial action

Niehaus called for stronger oversight: bi‑weekly reporting to the Portfolio Committee, a High Court compliance plan within seven days, expanded forensic investigation and SIU involvement in irregularities, and immediate disciplinary action for those implicated in database failures. He welcomed Deputy Minister Bantu Holomisa’s independent defence task team initiative and said he would provide documentation to support further probes.

Niehaus described the situation as a moral failing that dishonours liberation veterans, warning of exhausted pensions, inaccessible healthcare and stalled housing support if decisive action is not taken.