UMZINGWANE legislator Levi Mayihlome (Zanu PF) has urged government to pay pensioners including war veterans a minimum of US$200 in monthly pensions to cushion them against the high cost of living in the country.
Mayihlome’s call for US dollar pensions comes hardly a
month after a group of disgruntled ex-combatants were arrested after protesting
in central Harare demanding an upward review of their monthly stipends.
In his contribution to a motion in reply to the State of
the Nation Address (Sona) and the presidential speech on the official opening
of the Fourth Session of the Ninth Parliament, Mayihlome said ex-combatants and
other pensioners were living like paupers.
“The pension should at least be reviewed upwards to a
minimum of about US$200 per month for all pensioners, including war veterans so
that at least they have a decent life,” Mayihlome said.
“I would want to talk about the National Social Security
Authority pensions. My plea is that the
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ministry needs to review these
pensions,” he said.
“They reviewed it upwards from US$15 to US$45 and now it is
going to be US$60 per month per individual, but who can live on US$60 per
month?
“These are people who have contributed to the development
of this country. They worked hard all their lives. They toiled making major
investments, some of which have been the pride of this country, yet we expect
them to live on US$60 per month. It’s not fair.”
Civil servants have been pushing for US dollar salaries, a
demand government has rejected citing unavailability of the greenback.
Instead, government has promised to periodically increase
their salaries.
A fall in value of the local currency due to rising costs
of goods and services has left civil servants desperate.
Mayihlome added: “Let us honour them for what they did for
this country, for looking after us, for bringing us to this world, and for
building this country to what it is now. They are living like paupers and
cannot afford things like medication, housing and electricity, which is
expensive.
“My plea is for these pensions to be reviewed upwards, let
us look after our own.
“There is no one who will come from another country to look
after our pensioners and war veterans.”
Last year, government adjusted pensions for the former
freedom fighters to cushion them against the rising cost of living but
inflation has left many failing to afford basics.
On November 14, 1997, the late former President Robert
Mugabe succumbed to pressure from ex-combatants and paid them a lump sum of $50
000 each in unbudgeted gratuities.
This resulted in the country’s currency falling 72% against
the United States dollar. The day, now commonly referred to as “Black Friday”,
marked the beginning of troubles for the Zimbabwean economy, which have
persisted until to date. Newsday
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