A group of pensioners has approached the High Court seeking an order compelling the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) to review its pension benefits, arguing that the current payouts violate their constitutional rights.
The applicants, led by Gideon Shoko, want the court to declare NSSA’s pension payments unconstitutional and order the authority to align benefits with contributors’ lifetime payments and the prevailing cost of living.
According to court papers, the applicants comprise pensioners, widows and widowers who were compulsorily enrolled in NSSA’s Pension and Other Benefits Scheme and contributed throughout their working lives before qualifying for retirement benefits.
The application states that pensioners currently receive US$55 and ZWG308 per month, while widows receive US$20.
“The said monthly payouts are grossly inadequate when measured against the cost of basic survival in Zimbabwe… As a result, the applicants are unable to afford basic food, shelter, clothing, medication and transport from their monthly pension payouts,” reads part of the application.
The applicants contend that despite repeated engagements, NSSA has failed to review the benefits to reflect either contributors’ accumulated payments or the country’s rising cost of living.
“Despite continued engagements to resolve the matter, the respondent has refused and/or neglected to review the pension payouts to a level bearing any rational or proportionate relationship to the value of the contributions compulsorily deducted over the course of their working lives, or to the prevailing cost of living in Zimbabwe,” the application states.
The pensioners further argue that their compulsory contributions constitute property protected under Section 71(1) of the Constitution, giving them a vested right to pension benefits commensurate with those contributions.
They are seeking a declaration that NSSA’s current pension payouts are unconstitutional and an order directing the authority to implement benefits that adequately reflect contributors’ lifetime payments while safeguarding retirees’ right to live in dignity.
