Whose insurance?

The announcement that the proposed National Social Security Scheme, which private insurance companies are strongly against, has been postponed for another year seems to indicate that the scheme may be a non-starter. The private sector is already wishing and hoping that it will be abandoned after all.

Proposed at the time ZANU-PF was still touting for a one-party state and socialism the idea may now be out of step with current thinking as it was more political than economic. Moreover, the government is slowly realising that the easing of tight controls on parastatals is turning them into viable enterprises.

Abandoning the scheme makes good sense as the NSSS will handle large sums of money which may find its way into individual persons’ coffers. Remember the Maxwell Pensions monies? After all, there are already squabbles between politicians as to which local should head the organisation. Political appointees have ruined most parastatals including viable ones like Air Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, and the Posts and Telecommunications Corporation.

If as general manger, John Lynch says, the Ministry of Finance and Labour have still not agreed on what shape the scheme should take, then something is terribly wrong. The powers that be should have enough courage to admit that they made a rushed decision. After all, they are making a lot of about-turns in other areas.

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