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SATA Sets 65 Years As Retirement Age And Not 55
President Michael Sata has directed Justice Minister Sebastian Zulu to amend the Pensions Act to allow civil servants retire at the age of 65 and not 55 years.
The President has also instructed the Minister of Justice to come up with legislation to amend the Judicial Service Commission.
President Sata says it is illogical that people in the civil service are retired when they still have strength to serve the country.
He was speaking at State House when he swore in newly appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Max Nkole and Deputy Inspector General of Police Stella Libongani.
President Sata says it is sad that senior civil servants such as the Chief Justice continue to serve on contracts despite having retired at the age of 55 years.
On the Judicial Service Commission, President Sata says it is wrong that the Chief Justice who has an interest should serve as the Chairperson of the Commission.
The President observes that the practice is the same with the Central Bank where the Bank of Zambia Governor is the Chairperson of the board.
Posted by Editor
on October 4, 2011. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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Brijan
October 4, 2011 at 1:52 pm
As in the private sector we want retirement age reduced to 40 years. We want our napsa money b 4 we die. Those pipo keep on abusing our while we the owners wallow in poverty. Atleast they shud be able to give advances say for purpose of acquiring assets.
kahilu
October 4, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Brijan, you are talking! With the conditions of service, you cant build your own house after you get your pension! You cant remain a tenant forever!
Joy
October 4, 2011 at 2:04 pm
people will be dying leaving their pension money. this is not a good development. retiring at 45 years is even better.
Capitol Hill
October 4, 2011 at 2:06 pm
This is absurd!!!! This should be reversed immediately.
Mulenga
October 4, 2011 at 2:06 pm
Abash 65 years! i hope this is just a rumour.
Watchgalu
October 4, 2011 at 2:07 pm
This is not good for the Country. Allow people to retire while they still have strength so that with the pensions they get, they can invest and employ others. Beside, life expectancy is now below 40 years. This does not make sense at all. It would have even been better to reduce to 50 all even 45
DAVIDO
October 4, 2011 at 2:09 pm
i think there is need to put into consideration the life expectancy of the zambian people. retiring at 65 simply means that no one will enjoy the pension money.awe pena apa twapapata sana ilefwaikwafye napali 40.
Watchgalu
October 4, 2011 at 2:22 pm
THERE WILL BE INCREASED WITCHCRAFT IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
uncircumcised William
October 4, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Awe ba president, pliz consider reducing it to 52yrs so that pipo retire wen they are still enegertic and be able to utilise their pension.. otherwsie non of us will ever reach retirement.. atmost mojority will be dead by then
Wa Ndale
October 4, 2011 at 2:29 pm
SATA KNOWS THAT BY THIS, HE WILL NOT PAY ANY NEW RETIREE THROUGH OUT HIS TERM COZ NO ONE WILL RETIRE. IT IS A VERY BAD STRATEGY OF SERVING MONEY
kahilu
October 4, 2011 at 2:33 pm
ABASH indeed! But this is not a rumour, neither is it a proposal, its a directive! Hope he is adviced appropiately!
kahilu
October 4, 2011 at 2:37 pm
ahahahahahahaha! Bad strategy indeed! But it wont work!
TUCHILI TULE BEBA
October 4, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Awe yena iye yachilamo….65 yrs and I am only 32yrs ba Sata please revise this issue this is not good at alllll
Dora nachisusu
October 4, 2011 at 2:43 pm
This is total madness, its true kanshi that ichamba tachipwa mumutwe, this man smoked alot of weed in the past thats y he is misbehaving
Margaret Numbuka
October 4, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Hope this is true. Retiring at 65 sounds good. In fact it was also one of the proposals in the NCC Constitution. those of you who think negatively are free to opt for early retirement.
Good News
wanita
October 4, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Plz ladies and gentlemen. retirement package is not a capital for business. when one retires, he/she must only be doing charity work or enjoying the retirement package till death do them part. in zambia though, at 65 yrs an average person is quiet old. so we must encourage good healthy living, “ukulya bwino na ma excercise”. not drinking from morning to the following day even on duty sure!!
musafunsa banda
October 4, 2011 at 2:55 pm
that is not fair when are our children going to get employed if the old people do not leave the office? this will cause a lot of tension with the youth who are busy studying in colleges and universities hoping to get jobs only to be turned away because their mother, father, grandmothers and grandfater are sitll in employment. Please ba Sata reconsider that, the energy you have at 55 with your pension benfits would assist lot more people by employing the unemployed.
zulu p
October 4, 2011 at 2:56 pm
iyomwakwai ba sata abana bakabombalisa thats y there no jobs in Zambi 65ys too much kuli AIDS maningi
kahilu
October 4, 2011 at 2:57 pm
@ Margaret, whats the proposal for pensionable age? I believe retirement and pensionable age are not the same! Then pensionable age can be even below 50 years.
Patience ozokwar
October 4, 2011 at 2:59 pm
Mayi iwe mayi iwe.! Retirin @ 65 is absurd indeed. Is the presidnt consultin b4 makin thse decisionz or his jst usin hs presidential powerz? Bachita ova!!!!!
Bwembya
October 4, 2011 at 3:02 pm
Congulats, HE, MC Sata ,
With due respect and honor, your Exelence consider retracting your directive for Civil Servants retiring at 65 yrs. for those with special skills, they can still serve mother zambia on contracts. may be consider reviewing terms of contracts. viva your ex.
zambiana
October 4, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Any way it does not matter let those who want to die on duty continue working as for me 55 year I will retire 3 month to go I want my pension. mwa pya nga mwalilya impiya shandi.
Chanda
October 4, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Mr president, you started very well but on this one you are very wrong. Even 55 years is too much. Bring it to down to 45 or 50 years or make it optional.
Insansa kuchinjana
October 4, 2011 at 3:17 pm
Okey iyo yena mwapusa ba sata wesu… That has to be reversed..uh
umwana ukupilikita
October 4, 2011 at 3:18 pm
this retirement at 65 yrs should be optional after 55 years just as it were when one served for a continuous service of 20 years to apply for early retirement.in this era of HIV/AIDS ka 65 years patali bakalamba!
bashi k
October 4, 2011 at 3:25 pm
but why should the retirement age be pushed to 65 when the life expectancy is at 37?someone is not advising our head of state well or is he making unilateral decisions as usual.people need to enjoy their benefits before they finally answer the call of the Lord.am worried.
jay
October 4, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Ritirement age at 65? we shall never chew our money coz even at ritorement 55 yalikosa ukulya pension
MM
October 4, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Not this one, the youths need jobs, and the old need their money before dying i.e for those dying before sixty years!!
this one is a miss!!!
Confucious
October 4, 2011 at 3:41 pm
Why complain? That is the change you wanted. At least Chanda Chimbwi warned you. Mule lapila.
liz
October 4, 2011 at 3:43 pm
I think 55 years is okey as a retirement age. All we need is to allow youngsters to also take up challenging jobs than clinging on to retired officers who apply for part time jobs. Please our president may you reverse the statement.
correctedZ
October 4, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Would you believe it? http://www.indexmundi.com/zambia/life_expectancy_at_birth.html. (Source: CIA World Factbook – Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of July 12, 2011) – LIFE EXPECTANCY IN ZAMBIA IS 52.36yrs and not 37 as we all know but even then 65 is JUST TOO MUCH! Thats a tall order for your venom spit king cobby. 52 is good and 50 much better ba kateka
larry
October 4, 2011 at 3:51 pm
confucious you will be disapointed sata will suprise you & chanda chimbwi, infact we should not look forwad to retire but to leave employment & be self employed while still young but for those who cant manage to survive on there own due to peanuts of pensions in the private sector or government dept its a plus
Concerned Citizen
October 4, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Boss ba Sata mwaitaya? 65 years? NAPSA will not be serving the purpose it was created for unless i know understand why NAPSa was set up
antony tompkin
October 4, 2011 at 3:55 pm
I can understand the economic imperative behind this policy, especially when applied to people working in senior positions within the civil service etc, and who then after retirement on generous pensions go on to working part time on lucrative contracts. However I think that the life expectancy within Zambia is so tragically low, probably mainly among the poor and low paid people that some form of retirement age graduation would be required, in fact I would say that humanity and justice would demand a more flexible retirement age between the various socio/economic classes. In the UK our retirement age for men and women is now 66 years of age and given that life expectancy within Europe generally is now 88 years or more it is reasonable. In my grandparents time men especially from working class background very rarely lived above 60 years of age, completely different to my own generation now. Also the important point must be made that improvements must be made to the general health of the Zambian people via health education programmes and adequate health facilities. These two policies of health and retirement cannot exist in isolation of each other. Regards to the people of Zambia, Antony Tompkin. Nottingham, UK.
Real PF
October 4, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Awe naifwe twawamako fwe balilaliomo pension (gratuity)….ukucila ifyo
themba
October 4, 2011 at 3:59 pm
we are seriously in deep trouble with this old man, we need to leave space for young ones to work too
Kapembwa
October 4, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I personally do not support this move by the President, because statistics have shown and continue to show that most Zambians especially males die before the age of 45. So if the retirement age is pushed to 65, who will be there to receive the benefits, is it our grandchildren or children,and if so, why should it be? If a person works in a certain position up to the time he or she is 65, when are the youth, yearly graduates or the growing children going to occupy that job.Am serious not for this idea, i feel entrepreneurship should be encouraged more by providing loans with flexible payment terms and through business education.
donnkop
October 4, 2011 at 3:59 pm
1.) Backlog of retirement benefits will be covered as government would not have to make any payments for the people who were going to retire in next 10 years. too much money to use of backlog payments or investment in development projects, or sheer consumption by parliamentarians, bureaucracy, politicians
2.)too much money at Pension funds- use for development of misuse.
3.) Payout period after retirement reduced to negligible (on average 5 years). Pension Boards (and similarly private pensions and Napsa will become fat cats with huge profits)
4.) Blockage of youths progression to seats of authority.
5.) Justification for continuance of politicians in active political life in old age.
Recommendation:
Keep 55 years age.
Abolish parasitic NAPSA.
Retirement age for politician be reduced to 55 (NO MP, no president can stand and hold any position in government after he reaches the age of 55)
Mulenga
October 4, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@Antony, Well said but consider the high population growth rate and unemployment coupled of course with the very low life expentancy rate it just wont workout there a few jobs to which must be “holders” must relinguished at a specific age, and gracefully do other things!
themba
October 4, 2011 at 4:07 pm
This man has been in office for 8 days and has caused more damage than good,zambians in this era we don’t need a leader who think like that.our young brothers and sisters will never have employment since all positions will be occupied by his old friends.
snr citizen
October 4, 2011 at 4:08 pm
With due respect to HEMCS it may sound very good idea to some of us who are above 50 but I still believe to me 55yrs is okey. What is needed here is to improve the conditions of service so that by the time a worker reach the age of 50 he has a house and a land to contribute to the development of the country by growing more food to eat, sell and export what makes people afraid to go is the stigma of where the next meal will come from if I go where will I find money to pay rent or if kicked out of gvt house where will I go this can even bring early death also the retirement package need be revised to something that can be able to settle a retiree. I have seen a lot of retired officers who have failed to finish even a three roomed house cos the package he got finished before completing the house. 65 yrs mean people will be too tired to perform well at work we need to pave way for our children to be employed as well.
concerned parent
October 4, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Ba kateka wesu if people retire at 65 years where does that leave our children who are completing ama schools? Are you going to come up with alot of companies so that our children will be employed? Or is this present Government just looking at the welfare of the old and not the young?
Enock Sams
October 4, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Let the president reduce it from 55 to 50 or 40yrs if possible, so as to give chance to the young generation that has never worked before. If he says 65yrs that means the graduates will still remain in unemployed state. And rememberng his message, has been, to create jobs for the young generation. This can be one way of job creation. A simple calculation, suppose i finish my secondary education at the age of 18, tertiary education atleast by the age of 23-25yrs if u r studyng medicine. Therefore to come and have an opportunity i should wait for about 40years for someone to be retired and leave a vacancy for me. That is if they dont die while in employment. So, reduce it 38 or 40yrs to make every one test how it feels to work and have some experience.
King Anaconda
October 4, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Now! now! now! People stop crying wolf already! I thought just yesterday you were clapping hands that finally here is a man of action!
He fired ZESCO boss, applause!
He fired ZRA boss, Applause!
He Reversed Finance bank sale,applause!
He Dissolved RDA, applause!
He Fired IG, applause!
He fired District Commissioners, applause
He fired State house, applause
He raises the retirement age, come on people, give him a standing ovation!!!!!!!
This guy is driving too fast, the country will soon crash.
marivine
October 4, 2011 at 4:33 pm
confucious naiwe dont compare chanda chimbwi na HE sata mwalitemwa sana ifyabupuba mu zambia. tulemimona chanda chimbwi ali kwi nomba?
zambiana
October 4, 2011 at 4:37 pm
HE MCS we are kindly requesting you to revisit this decision and reverse it immediately. The reason are clear and genuine, life expectancy is too low in our country. To extent retirement to 65 years is mockery of realities on the ground. I suggest you subject this issue to a civil service referendum you will be shocked to know that 90 % will vote against. Please revisit this decision. Twapapata bakalamba.
concerned citizen
October 4, 2011 at 4:39 pm
I agree with you King Anaconda, driving too fast makes you crash. The Titanic started very well and everyone was excited to be aboard it. What happened when the Captian accelerated its speed? It crashed terribly and people were drowing and couldnt celebrate as they did when boarding it.
kj
October 4, 2011 at 4:43 pm
TATA MWAFAULA 65 IS TOO MUCH ONLY THOSE WHO ARE BLESSED WHITH LONGER LIFE WILL CELEBRATE OTHERWISE THE LIFE EXPECTANCE IS 37. MAY BE YOU WHAT TO RUN AWAY FROM THE BURDEN OF PAYING RETIRES.PLEASE ZAMBIA LET US RISE UP LIKE THE WAY WE DID ON 20th ABASHI!ABASHI!
Moston
October 4, 2011 at 4:51 pm
Ladies and gents,there is so much stress and strain that surrounds retirement.it has detrimental effects on a retiree especially here in zambia where one has to wait for the pension that takes forever to come! These people are however stil burdened to surport families.its okay to increase the retirement age.
cchirwa
October 4, 2011 at 5:07 pm
It looks like alot of our young turks just write without looking at the needs of mother Zambia.At 55YEARS ALOT OF people world wide thats when they have reached a peak of experience in most industries.Do we really need to throw away that wealth of knowledge into the streets? Who will train the young ones.Surely death does strike any age group not necessarily that the older ones die first.Worse still the aids pandemic has taken a high toll on the young turks pantu tamulekonka intambi.65years ilifye