Over 24 000 former Venda Bantustan officials have banded together under the aegis of the Dabalorivhuwa Patriotic Front (DPF) to demand an estimated R1 billion in unpaid pensions from government.

The pensioners also asked Public Protector Selby Baqwa to help this week and are collecting documentary evidence to force the government to pay them between R828 million and R1 billion.

The money was deducted from officials' salaries and invested both with local banks and offshore brokers by the Venda homeland government during the early 1990s.

The Bantustan eventually paid R800 million to disgruntled officials in 1993, but reinvested an equal amount with a Taiwanese brokerage, Unibank, Royal Trust and Liberty Life and a range of other pension funds.

The government has since failed to recover the money or pay officials the rest of their pensions, DPF president Tshifhiwa Makhale said at the weekend.

Ageing officials became so bitter about the stand-off that they founded the DPF in 1998 specifically to fight for their pensions. The party has since evolved into an independent VhaVenda political movement in the impoverished former homeland with elected representatives on the Vhembe, Louis Trichardt and Thohoyandou councils.

Makhale confirmed the party had formally requested Baqwa to intervene after the national finance department "ignored" demands for payment for over two years.

"This money has been owed since 1995 and represents the life savings and old age pensions of over 24 000 former civil servants," said Makhale.

"This money is legally owed to honest people who worked for it, but has been withheld by a government that appears to be discriminating on political grounds."

Baqwa's spokesperson, Nicolette Teichmann, confirmed on Friday that the DPF had lodged a formal complaint and had been requested to table a written history, supporting evidence and a proposed formula for splitting any money that is recovered between the 24 000 complainants.

"We need as much of the information in writing to help us make a ruling," she said.

Makhale added that he believed the government could itself benefit immensely if it conducted a proper forensic investigation and appointed actuaries to calculate both the capital and interest owed to it as a result of the Venda investment scheme.

"We have evidence that at least one local institution withheld R358 million that was invested in 1992. This could be worth billions now, and is money I am sure the government would be able to use," said Makhale.

He added that Venda's economy would be revolutionised even if government only paid out the outstanding pensions.

"Venda is one of the most under-developed and economically isolated regions in South Africa. Just imagine what it would mean to the region if 24 000 people were paid a total of R1 billion," he said.

"Most of that money would stay here, in the form of new homes, cars, business, development projects and better education." - African Eye News Service