MP says Public Service Minister must explain why NSSA is not paying pensioners decent packages. “We don’t want to be blamed for soft genocide”

Zimbabwe opposition legislator Settlement Chikwinya has called on the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to issue a ministerial statement on why the National Social Security Authority is not able to pay pensioners decent salaries.

He said pensioners were being paid peanuts and had thus become a burden to politicians- councillors and Members of Parliament.

“We cannot drive our luxurious cars back to our constituencies without solving the plight of our pensioners, some of whom fought for the liberation of this country.  They are our parents who sent us to school and yet they are getting something less than 10 USD per month,” Chikwinya said.

“May the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare come to the august House and give us a Ministerial Statement on protecting the pensioners so that tomorrow we may not be blamed for a soft genocide, seeing the elderly dying in our country without doing anything for them.   The Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should also explain to us why NSSA is failing to give pensioners decent salaries.”

Full contribution:

HON. CHIKWINYA: My point of national interest this afternoon is premised on the issue of pensioners.  The Zimbabwean pensioners must get their funds from two sources, firstly from their employer, be it the public sector or the private sector. The other funding should come from NSSA.

Madam Speaker, if you put together these two pockets of money channeled to an individual pensioner, the amount cannot reach a significant figure.

We cannot be an effective Parliament which enacts laws for the good governance of the people if we neglect or leave our elderly people dying because of failing to access money for basic medication and food. As we are speaking right now, pensioners are unable to access their money from the banks because the money is not even enough for bus fare.   These people cannot also buy medication because the medications are being charged in USD.

The pensioners have become a burden to the politicians, the councillors and Members of Parliament.  In the event of the unfortunate, these people do not have funeral policies, so it would be the duty of the politicians to give them a decent burial. We cannot drive our luxurious cars back to our constituencies without solving the plight of our pensioners, some of whom fought for the liberation of this country.  They are our parents who sent us to school and yet they are getting something less than 10 USD per month.

May the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare come to the august House and give us a Ministerial Statement on protecting the pensioners so that tomorrow we may not be blamed for a soft genocide, seeing the elderly dying in our country without doing anything for them.   The Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should also explain to us why NSSA is failing to give pensioners decent salaries.  I thank you.

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