Govt Moves to Broaden Support for War Veterans Through New Bills

By Nokusa Masuku | 27 November 2025

The Government says it is moving to strengthen support for former liberation fighters and their families through two major legislative reforms, the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Amendment Bill and the War Victims Compensation Amendment Bill.

Veterans Minister Monica Mavhunga says the changes will widen benefits for war veterans, ex-detainees, collaborators, and war victims.

“Currently we are supporting them, it’s not that we’re to start supporting them but then it’s going to be an enhancement in supporting them.

“For instance in terms of quotas, 10% qouta that they have been getting on land, with the new bill we’re saying, we want war veterans to get quotas in all sectors of the economy…,”she explaned.

She says while veterans already receive a 10 percent land quota, government now wants them to access quotas across all sectors of the economy.

The proposed law will also extend funeral assistance to spouses of war veterans for the first time, a move the Minister says recognises the role families played during and after the liberation struggle.

“When a spouse dies, we’re saying this new Bill would want the spouse again to benefit because right now that same spouse is being assisted in terms of treatment so when that person dies, we want again to ensure that he’s assisted,” she added.

The War Victims Compensation Amendment Bill will further cover people injured by unexploded wartime ordinances long after the war ended, a group previously excluded from compensation schemes.