Story by Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to implementing policies and measures to cushion retirees.
This came out at the Public Service Commission Inaugural Retirement conference in Harare this Wednesday.
In a bid to inculcate the values of participatory development and offering an insight into what the future holds for retirees, Public Service Commission mooted the inaugural retirement conference.
The conference, running under the theme: Embracing a new Chapter: Empowering Public Sector workers for retirement with dignity was officially opened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was represented by Minister of Defence Honourable Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri.
President Mnangagwa said participatory development in communities offers a unique opportunity for retirees to apply their skills where they are most needed, fostering economic and social growth in their communities.
“This milestone event is testimony to the unwavering commitment of the Second Republic to improving the welfare of those who have served our nation with dedication and honour. The doctrine of social protection is predicated on dignity in retirement. This dignity is borne out of the prosperity that comes from the sweat of those who selflessly serve the nation,” said President Mnangagwa.
Government has made various reforms aimed at strengthening social protection with retirees in mind.
“As we write this new chapter, our focus is the dignity and empowerment of government workers. We must ensure that retirement is not an endpoint but a meaningful new chapter contributing to the prosperity of our provinces, districts, and communities. The legal framework that guarantees social protection in Zimbabwe is an inclusive one as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Act number 20 of 2013 as amended.
“The Public Service Act Chapter 16.04 together with the Pensions and Provident Funds Act Chapter 24 09, along with the State Service (Pensions Act) 16.06, have provided the necessary legal framework that should guide any deliberations aimed at positively transforming the post-employment landscape. Recognising the challenges faced by retirees and the need to empower public servants to retire with dignity, the Government has implemented a range of measures to ensure a secure and dignified post-employment life. These measures include both contributory and non-contributory schemes. The Government adopted a Defined-Benefit Pension Scheme which provides eligible employees with guaranteed income for life when they retire. The government as largest employer in the land, guarantees a specific retirement benefit amount for each participant based on factors such as the employee’s salary and years of service. This means that the Government bears the risk if the returns on the investment do not cover the defined-benefit amount due to a member,” he added.
Public Service Commission Chairperson Dr Vincent Hungwe implored members of the public service not to wait for retirement to come but taking advantage of government policies to be empowered.
“We want to culitivate an independent elderly population which contributes to national development. As it stands the organization is working with other departments, to come up with policies to identify what can be availed to members and facilitate access to housing. Development of growth points, issuance of title deeds to people and several products have been initiated. Retirement planning module, Let’s not simply wait for retirement to come,” he said.
The three -day conference organised by the Public Service Commission is being attended by retirees, active members of the public service, and retirement experts from different sectors with major focus on discussing opportunities to secure the dignity, financial independence and health of the civil servants in retirement.
