Friday, March 29, 2024

UPND is committed to ensuring that Public Pensions work for you and your families

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By Anthony Bwalya

Out of an estimated 18 million Zambians, at least 54% or approximately 8 million live in abject poverty.

This means 8 million Zambians have no access to guaranteed food, water, energy, shelter, health or education.

And out of this grime statistic, an estimated 3million of the entire poverty stricken population have a saving of some sort with NAPSA but are NOT benefitting from.

On a yearly basis, the value of these pensions for all contributors, diminishes by about 2.7% due to inflation and currency degeneration.

And by the time these people have access to their pensions money, the money would have lost up to 35% in value altogether.

This is a grave concern for the UPND.

But while these Zambians are denied access to their NAPSA money until they reach the age of 65, their government is looting NAPSA in big capital projects which benefit politicians and their friends.

The UPND is saying:

1. The mandatory retirement age will be reduced to 55 years so that Zambians have an opportunity to enjoy their retirement while time is still on their side.

2. All contributors into NAPSA will have PARTIAL, PERIODIC access to their NAPSA money ahead of retirement.

3. All contributors will be given the opportunity and choice to get their NAPSA contributions payments in full and promptly so that they may be able to build credible economic plans for themselves and their families.

Public pensions money belongs to the people and not the government.

Public pensions money must, therefore, work for the contributors.

19 COMMENTS

  1. I hope the views expressed here are Anthony Bwalya’s views not the entire UPND. Its very dumb to ask people to retire at 55years- a time when they have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience and are able to contribute towards the country . Life expectancy has increased and retiring someone who still has 20 to 30 years to give is ill advised.

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  2. Very doubtful because of what is obtaining on the ground where senior UPND members are in control they either transfer the money offshore or adamantly refuse to honour their obligations example case of former British Petroleum workers still languishing despite judgement being in their favour.

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  3. Total malabbishi here. Topics of propaganda have dwindled hey. Even his boss will be upset with this article. Do you even know how pensions work iwe Bwalya colored cow.

  4. Does HH know why in Botswana, retirement age is at 65, why in Tanzania, the compulsory age of retirement is 60 years, and 55 years is the voluntary age of retirement, why it is at 60 in Angola, why it is 60 years or 35 years of service in Nigeria, why it is 65 in Britain, why in America, currently, the full benefit age is 66 1/6 years, and it will gradually rise to 67 while early retirement benefits will continue to be available at age 62? Are we wiser than all the leaders of these countries? If HH could research, consult and inquire, perhaps there is a cardinal reason why countries fixed 60/65 as retirement age instead of naively childishly saying, ” At 55, Zambians have an opportunity to enjoy their retirement while time is still on their side”. If this was true, I believe…

  5. Britain and America would have been the first countries to fix retirement age at 55 if it was true that people have an opportunity to enjoy their retirement while time is still on their side. But citizens of Britain and America themselves AND NOT PRESIDENTS so it wise and decided that the retirement age was appropriate at 60/65 for obvious reasons.

  6. Yes HH is right. At 55, we will enjoy our benefits while time is still on our side but we will soon come back to knock at the door to apply for contracts for we are still young and energetic. Kikiki!

  7. You Mwenya also, how do you say HH is right? Did you know that most workers who retire in Africa end up as destitute and that’s why they always come back to seek for contracts when money has run out? But why? Is it because they are dull and do not know how to use, save, invest or run business? NO! It is because economies of most African countries are, until many years to come, unable to favour most retirees. That’s why the Zambian government did a lot of consultation within and without and it’s from such consultation and, of course, an act of parliament that the retirement age was raised to 60/65 years. That’s why it was necessary for people like HH to first gain experience at a lower level before aspiring for State House. It’s not time for experiments, guys.

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