In a bid to address the longstanding issue of delayed retirement payments, President Hakainde Hichilema has declared that retirees will now receive their terminal benefits just three months after they retire. The move is aimed at reducing the backlog of retirees who have been waiting for their dues for several decades. President Hichilema made the announcement during a meeting with Bishops from the Anglican Church at State House.
During the meeting, President Hichilema expressed his government’s commitment to resolving the plight of retirees who had endured years of uncertainty and financial strain due to delayed payments. He disclosed that his administration had already cleared the pending retirement benefits for the majority of retirees who had been waiting for up to 20 years.
Additionally, the Zambian President unveiled plans to implement a Credit Window, offering citizens access to credit with interest rates below commercial levels, especially designed to support businesses. The Credit Window initiative is expected to provide significant benefits for the agricultural sector, enabling farmers to plant crops twice a year, which, in turn, would lead to increased yields.
President Hichilema emphasized that the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) had encountered challenges as some individuals took advantage of the system, accessing fertilizers meant for farming and subsequently selling them for personal gain without engaging in any agricultural activities. The new Credit Window is intended to offer farmers better access to financial resources for their agricultural needs and curb the misuse of agricultural support programs.
The announcement of the Credit Window has been met with enthusiasm from various agricultural stakeholders, as it is anticipated to have a positive impact on the productivity and livelihoods of farmers across the country.
Meanwhile, during the meeting with the Anglican Church representatives, Archbishop Albert Chama of the Central African Province praised the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for its transformative role in empowering communities. He commended the initiative, stating that it allowed people to decide on development projects according to their specific needs and priorities.
However, the Archbishop also expressed concerns about the National Health Insurance Scheme Authority (NHIMA), noting that the coverage provided did not include all illnesses. He urged the government to extend NHIMA’s coverage to include a broader range of medical conditions, as many Zambians could not afford treatment in private health facilities.
President Hichilema assured the Anglican Church representatives that his government would take their concerns into serious consideration and strive to make improvements in the country’s healthcare system to ensure better access to medical services for all citizens.
It’s a very ambitious target, in fact too ambitious to be fulfilled because of the behaviour of economic variables. These variables can be a bitch.
Blaming *economic variables* is the cheapest excuse. Its actually poor mentality. Finding money is a thought and an idea. There is a lot of money that bleeds from the government every single. These people made contributions from their hard worked money.
Government financial projections are made with a lot of assumptions about how economic variables will behave in future. If you do not know that you do not know how government operates and are in need of help.
Get the first hand information about Zambian news from http://www.pamulomo.com and be happy with smile
Ba LT How come sites like Zambian Observer carry more news than you? They have lots of breaking news that you dont carry. Although they heavily censor anti-UPND posts as they have never published any of mine.
On FISP where have the bumper harvests been coming from? Of course from our farmers. However selling inputs which clearly state NOT FOR SALE is betrayal of goodwill. But the buck stops at the door of the agricultural officers who are supposed to be monitoring the application of these inputs. They prefer spending time in offices. I remember how strict these were during the Unip days. Somehow along the line wrong people joined the department of agriculture.
As long as these wrong people are in charge no system will safeguard the distribution of inputs.
My dad retired from a Pretoria based civil department last year. He got all his benefits one month before retirement
On delayed pensions, Zambia’s oldest pension fund, LASF, is the main culprit. And the reason is that local authorities began to default on member remittances around 1980. The backlog of contributions has remained uncleared to date. As a result some members have even died without receiving their money. Whenever government makes a block payment, misleading statements follow. What I’d like to hear is whether current remittances are up to date and if government has made a commitment never to default again.
We are tired of these pronouncements. look at the much cerebrated NAPSA partial withdraw where is it now ? it was just blindfolding for 2-3 months now here is stories the system has aproblem no one is getting it. Boozaa ba kateka
“……..President Hakainde Hichilema has declared that retirees will now receive their terminal benefits just three months after they retire…..”
This what happens in a normal functioning society……..
This GRZ is fixing the basic requirements to a normal functioning society………..and everything else falls in place.
Essential foundations theives and lazy no plan people don’t understand……….
Froward 2031……….
Three months after retirement? Thats normal for you? Why should their be a waiting period when everybody knows the retirement date long before it arrives?
Great development. My vote is working. However we will believe it when we see it. I have many uncles and relatives who have died whilst waiting for their benefits.
1. That’s good news from HH and stay committed to it.
MMD & PF had committed one of the highest crime against humanity in the history of Zambia for failing to make an *effort* to pay retirees. Many of these went to the graves without a single one kwacha. Zambia has homeless-street-kids, some who are a product of children from families of broken structures and deceased parents due to depression, because they did not get their retirement packages to support their families….
2. There was no strong will by previous governments to find or redirect funds to pay retirees. They are so many unnecessary government programs that could have been suspended to redirect funds and pay retirees. If fiscal discipline or austerity was exercised, retirees could have been paid, even in economic downtime seasons.
3. *** I have adopted 5 children from the streets that I love dearly, support, educate and mentor. If you are in diaspora and can afford to spare $50 per month, please find a child to support from the streets. Because its always the little difference you make that bring big change to society. And that’s a mindset and an upward-trend that brings development that we all seek and want. In life, the more you *WISELY GIVE*, the more Nature, The Universe, Source, Energy, God gives you. This is because everything has to keep moving like a river that never stops supplying water. ****
1. That’s good news from HH and stay committed to it.
MMD & PF had committed one of the highest crime against humanity in the history of Zambia for failing to make an *effort* to pay retirees from the civil services. Many of these went to the graves without a single one kwacha. Zambia has homeless-street-kids, some who are a product of children from families of broken structures and deceased parents due to depression, because they did not get their retirement packages to support their families.
Stellar News…we remain to see this in practice for retirees. My biggest worry though is the issue of debt restructuring it looks to me like the can has been kicked further up the road to 2031. We need to know what is in the small print of those debt structuring agreements with private lenders.
As for the Farmer Input Support Program (FISP) these Depts like FRA and the likes needed urgent reforms from day one…its an open secret that FRA District officers profit from selling maize and inputs through the back door I mean how do they manage to buy Toyota Hilux from the dealer with cash.
Come to think of it didn’t Dr Musokotwane inform the nation that all pensioners have been cleared? Where have these come from then? Should we develop short memories and accept anything coming from our friends in government?
Deja Vu Yes thats the gospel Musokotwane preached to Zmbians. There is too much lies coming from our government. You find that too often they contradict themselves. HH, The VP and a Minister will send out contradicting voices on a matter that needs just simple clarity, like they did on Medicines & Farming Inputs issues. And when we critic the changing of goal-posts, we get labelled as haters of HH and some bloggers at lusakatimes get angry and blood pressures high.
The move is aimed at reducing the backlog of retirees who have been waiting for their dues for several decades.
What move?
Just waiting for Jesus to return… I don’t see any hope… have been waiting for a time when rulers will only say the truth and nothing but the truth.
Liars, my mother has retired two years ago, all we hear is lies and lies and more lies
This man keeps on fooling Zambians…..in reality this will never happen….just wishful thinking day in day out and the problem with lies is that you have to keep on lying in order to keep your original lie intact…20 years from now ask any retirees if the managed to get their money within 3 months….the answer will be NO
Paya Farmer was the Upnd other name for the PF government one time when inputs were not delivered on time. I wonder what we shall call Upnd as the phase out FISP.
Government can cut costs by paying retirees either one month in lieu of notice , or pay them their retirement benefits together with the last pay cheque. Paying them 3 months after 3months means government will still pay the retirees for 3 months after they retirees finish their employment as they will still be considered as employees
Ba LT How come sites like Zambian Observer carry more news than you? They have lots of breaking news that you dont carry. Although they heavily censor anti-UPND posts as they have never published any of mine.