Secretary to Cabinet Simon Miti has proposed that Article 189 on the payment of Pension benefits promptly and regularly in the Constitution of Zambia Amendment Bill Number 10 of 2019 should be removed completely.
Speaking before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitution Amendment Bill Number 10 of 2019, Dr MITI said there is urgent need to reform the public pension schemes to make them sustainable.
He said the two Pension schemes, the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) and Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF) have design challenges.
Dr. Miti explained that the pension schemes are designed to pay out more than the contributions made by the employee and the employer.
He stated that the Government has already embarked on a comprehensive reform process of the public pension schemes to make them sustainable.
And Dr. Miti has disclosed that currently PSPF and LASF have huge deficits estimated at 46.2 billion Kwacha and 4 billion Kwacha respectively.
Dr. Miti was responding to Nalikwanda Member of Parliament Geoffrey Lungwangwa who wanted to know if the Government is engaging the unions who have said that Article 189 should be maintained.
Lusaka Central Member of Parliament Margaret Mwanakatwe also wanted to know how long the new pension reforms will take.
Simon Miti I don’t agree with you on this one. If there are great injustices that the State has committed against its people the non payment of pensions is one of them. It’ll catch up with you too. There are many pensioners, especially former council employees that haven’t been paid their pension dues. Most of the affected never had access to huge allowances and other unwritten benefits that go with holding high positions. They are rendered destitute in their own country after many years of service. Some are only surviving because FTJ gave them houses. Others even their children got affected because their salaries were so low that they couldn’t save. They relied on their pensions to start a new life but alas, no pension and no money for school fees. Don’t oppose Laws that benefit the…
people
There is no design problem with pensions!
Its the management of pensions thats the problem when you employ people who are just cadres and lack investment expertise you have a problem.
Secretary to cabinet is a very senior position to make such silly contributions!
I agree with you Ayatollah and other bloggers on this one. As an ordinary retiree in Zambia, the government you elected is the one chasing you with a whip and you have no where to run to and!
When Simon was introduced to me at Unza in 1981 by his late elder brother Emmanuel, he seemed a very decent person and one of integrity. His medical training and the Hippocratic oath he took subsequently would only add to the stature I knew him to possess.
In the recent past however, his character has been dented severely and has abandoned his promise to serve humanity. I am not surprised that now Dr. Miti prostrates himself to cruel authorities …
Very irresponsible Cabinet Secretary. Instead of taking care of interests of the Workers and Retirees Miti is protecting the interests of Govt/the Employer. Miti should look after the Welfare and Well-being of Workers and Pensioners.
1.3 Nshimbi. Yow are now seeing his true character. The other was a ruse, this is the real him. Money and power have a way of showing ones true character.
Let’s do it! He is UNELECTABLE and UNLIKABLE.
Dear secretary to cabinet simply because you feel the pension fund has a design problem this should not absolve you from paying the retiree. Indeed we can understand that since from the rank of PS they now enjoy contractual service that attracts gratuity they might feel there is no need for the lesser civil servant to earn a pension. Here is the issue those civil servants who work for donkeys years and don’t steal need the little money to survive and when delayed it leaves them destitute
this brat thinks we have forgotten that he worked closely with Kapoko. He built houses on Chindindi plots just opposite Mimosa road in a space of 3 weeks and the houses were ready for occupation with all the fittings in them. His salary could not much with massive expansion projects he embarked on. Remember he was the PS at MoH when a Human Resource Manager was embezzling donor funds
… “there is urgent need to reform the public pension schemes to make them sustainable”, at which point is the money deducted from peoples’ salaries not sustainable and why is it not sustainable?
A pension fund is supposed to operate like a bank i.e wisely invest the client’s monies and make more money on top of it so that when the client wants his monies back the fund would have made so much profit on top of it. How is this model unsustainable to the pension fund, is it lack of investment or is it because the politicians and government misuse the money?
Dr Miti needs to explain to us why pension schemes aren’t sustainable and at which point.
This is very funny. Utterly ludicrous and out of context. If an entire public service CEO is advocating impunity what does it say about the professionalism of the rest? Fyabupuba fye ifi na imwe. PAY THE RETIREES PROMPTLY!!
This is not surprising coming from this stinking thief! I also didn’t know he is back in govt at the highest level after his satanic thieving ways to come and suggest such a satanic move after the pain and despondency such delays have caused retirees.
Firstly, I would wish to suppose that the reported submission by Government through the Secretary to Cabinet (Dr. Simon Miti) to the Parliamentary Select Committee wanting article to pay pensions promptly and regularly removed from Bill No. 10 may not be accurately captured or recorded.
However, in the unlikely event that actually the report is factually correct, then I need help!
I stand to be corrected. My humble understanding of the implication of this submission is that actually, pension should not be paid at all, and in the ‘unlikely’ or ‘unfortunate’ event that the pension is paid, then it should not be paid promptly and it should not be paid regularly.
The immediate concerns that come to mind are;
Firstly, once the government pension bodies have already led the…
The immediate concerns that come to mind are;
Firstly, once the government pension bodies have already led the way, then the pension bodies in the private sector are also most certainly and instantly likely to follow suit!
Secondly, I wonder how then the pensioner is expected to survive!
If this, my understanding or analysis is accurate or correct, then I find this submission utterly shocking!
God have mercy!
God help us!
If that’s the case then give employees the right to invest their contributions elsewhere! Then we will see who would want to remain with your pension fund masalamusiz. And what’s Margaret still doing as an MP, that whore has no shame!
Show me any retired Senior Government Official including Secretary to Cabinet that have not been paid their pension within a couple of months of being retired – the answer is none. They have not interest or empathy for the retired people and ensuring that they get paid their dues promptly and that is why they would ridiculously move to remove this obligation from the Constitution.
Late President Sata’s proposal that was implemented to keep the retired on payroll until they receive their pension was very humane. This also made the Ministry prioritise their budget for these pensioners by ensuring they were paid and removed from payroll. This has now been rescinded and now you have those retired Civil servants and living in institutional houses being evicted with no where to go and no…
I PRAY TO GOD ALMIGHTY THAT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF BILL AMENDMENT BECOMES A FLOP. I PRAY TO GOD THAT IN 2021 ELECTIONS, THERE WILL BE A NEW GOVERNMENT THAT WILL VALUE THE RETIREES AND PAY THEM PROMPTLY. IF NOT PAID NOW, GOD TOUCH EVERY RETIREE NOT TO VOTE FOR PF REGIME. WE VOTED FOR THEM, THEY HAVE TURNED AGAN’ST US. GOD LETS TURN AGAIST THEM TOO. GOD OPEN OUR EYES SO WE VOTE FOR A PARTY THAT WILL LOVE ITS PEOPLE THAN THIS ONE. GOD DONT ALLOW THIS REGIME BUY ELECTRICITY FROM ESCOM AT 22 MILLION DOLLARS PER MONTH DIVIATE THIS MONEY TO PAY RETIREES. YOU ARE A LISTTENING GOD HEAR OUR CRY, IN THE NAME OF JESUS BRING CONFUSION IN THE BILL 10 AMENDMENT PROCESS. EARLIER THEY PROMISED MONEY IN THE POKETS, NOW THEY ARE MAKING HOLES IN THEM. GOD HEAR US AMEN.
DR Miti please leave that progressive piece of legislation which protect workers welfare.
Pension, gratuity or emoluments need to be placed within the context or legal agreements. It is unlawful to change the legal agreement before its execution. The agreement between employee and employer is binding. When employee fails to respect the agreement, then employer is entitled to take appropriate legal action against employee. Similarly, when employer fails to respect the legal agreement, then employee is entitled to take legal action against employer. The delays in paying salaries is similar to delays in paying terminal benefits of employees. The question on many lips is: What went wrong? There are various indicators showing that capability deficits in proper implementation of national development plans are responsible for poor economic performance. This includes deficits in the…
There are various indicators showing that capability deficits in proper implementation of national development plans are responsible for poor economic performance. This includes deficits in the capacity to prevent, investigate and prosecute corruption and fraud. Take time to clear the debts owed to employees. Take time to blame the victim. Take time to dismantle democratic credentials of the country.