Social security in Zimbabwe is neutral with respect to gender.
Social Security with NSSA
People with identical insurable earnings and contribution histories receive the same benefits regardless of whether they are men or women.
In 2001 the International Labour Organisation held a conference at which it emphasised that social security should promote and be based upon the principle of gender equality, not only with regard to equal treatment for men and women in the same or similar situations, but also concerning measures to ensure equitable outcomes for women.
Preliminary results of the population census carried out in August 2012 show that Zimbabwe’s population stands at almost 13 million people. Of this population, 6,7 million are female while 6,2 are male.
With women generally having longer life expectancies than men, women who reach old age tend to live more years in retirement than men. There is therefore a greater likelihood of their exhausting their savings during their retirement, making social security particularly important for them.
Since pensions are for life, women who qualify for pensions are also likely to benefit for longer from the pension scheme, given their generally greater longevity in old age.
NSSA’s pensions scheme benefits are determined solely by the contribution period and the contributor’s insurable earnings prior to the contributor or his/her dependants becoming eligible for the benefit.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The primary beneficiaries in the event of a married contributor’s death are the contributor’s spouse and children, whether the contributor was a man or a woman.
Social security protection is regarded by the United Nations as a basic human right, even though only a small proportion of the world’s population enjoy it, making its extension to everyone a universal challenge in a globalised world.
A large number of workers in sub-Saharan Africa lack any kind of social protection. This is because even in countries that have a social security system in place, large numbers of people are employed in the informal sector, which, by its nature, is difficult to incorporate within a social security scheme.
This leaves them vulnerable in their old age and when they need medical care.
In addition, many people have insufficient coverage, that is they may lack significant elements of protection such as health care or pension or what protection they do have may be low or declining.
In Zimbabwe there are at present two social security schemes, the Pension and Other Benefits Scheme, which provides for retirement, invalidity and survivor’s benefits and a funeral grant, and the Worker’s Compensation Insurance Fund (WCIF), which provides for financial compensation in the event of serious injury or death resulting from a work-related accident or disease. The WCIF also pays for medical treatment for the injured person and his or her rehabilitation.
There is as yet no social security health system in place, though it is expected that at some stage such a system will be established. Every man and woman in formal sector employment in Zimbabwe is obliged to contribute to the Pension and Other Benefits Scheme.
Every employer in the formal sector is obliged to pay a contribution that matches that of each employee. The employer is also obliged to pay a WCIF premium in respect of each employee.
Every man and woman who has contributed to the Pension and Other Benefits Scheme for 12 months or more is entitled to a retirement benefit on reaching the pensionable retirement age. If he or she has contributed for 120 months or more, the retirement benefit will be a monthly pension for life.
If the contribution period is less than 120 months, the benefit will be a lump sum retirement grant.
The pension benefits are currently low, because the scheme has only been in operation for 18 years and the maximum monthly insurable earnings limit is low. However, the maximum proportion of insurable earnings that the retirement pension is equivalent to increases with each contribution year.
For those with 18 years of contributions it is 24%. After 40 years of contributions it should be more than 63%.
When a contributor or pensioner dies, a survivor’s pension is payable to the spouse and children or, if the contributor is unmarried and has no children, his/her parents or other previously named dependant.
In Zimbabwe informal traders and their employees and domestic workers are the only people exempt from paying contributions to the National Social Security Authority pension fund.
It was once assumed that an increasing proportion of the labour force in developing countries would end up in formal sector employment covered by social security. However, experience has shown that the growing incidence of informal work has led to stagnant or declining rates of coverage.
Even in countries with high economic growth, increasing numbers of workers are in less secure employment, such as casual labour, home work and certain types of self-employment lacking social security coverage.
However, given the significant number of people in informal sector employment, NSSA is actively considering ways in which those in that sector could be incorporated into the pension scheme.
Talking Social Security is published weekly by the National Social Security Authority as a public service.
There is also a weekly radio programme, PaMhepo neNssa/Emoyeni le NSSA, discussing social security issues at 6.50 pm every Thursday on Radio Zimbabwe and every Friday on National FM. Readers can e mail issues they would like dealt with in this column to [email protected] or text them to 0772 307 913.
Those with individual queries should contact their local NSSA office or telephone NSSA on (04) 706517-8 or 706523 5.
