The Zambia Local Authorities Retirees and Pensioners Association (ZALARPA) has joined calls by some sections of society urging government to immediately retain the subsidies on fuel and maize which government has removed.
ZALARPA President Mathew Nyakalale says the Association which comprises 8,000 pensioners will be negatively affected by the removal of the two subsidies.
Mr. Nyakalale said the removal of the subsidies has affected them because of non-payment of their terminal benefits coupled with the current high cost of essential commodities like mealie meal and the increase in bus fares.
Mr. Nyakalale said this in a press stamen released to ZANIS in Lusaka yesterday.
“The removal of fuel and maize subsidies has left retirees devastated. We urge the PF government to avoid making the same mistakes which were made by MMD,” he said.
He said urged the Government to avoid making mistakes which cost the previous MMD government to lose power because president Rupiah Banda never listened to the people of Zambia who put him in Office.
The ZALARPA President demanded that Government pays them their pension and live up to its 2011 campaign promises.
President Michael Sata has directed Ministers and their deputies to go round the country and explain the benefits of the subsidy removals aimed at diverting money to developmental projects.
[ZANIS]
my heart goes out to all my parents ‘the pensioners’ especially those that are not paid their terminal benefits. My dear parents, you should be the first ones even cheering the removal of the subsidies because now some of the reasons that was holding on to the monies meant to be paid to you has been removed. The government can safely increase the allocation of payment of terminal benefits. Are we not all tired of the irregularities in the expenditure of the government resources. They are few taxpayers cushioning the entire budget of this country because the much revenue in the informal sector is uncollected.
Cheer the move today, if not for yourselves but for your children and childrens’ children. We shall overcome this just as we have overcome the many challenges this country had.
Kudos to you, Mwape! Well said.
Some of the budget support that also goes to subsidies comes from partners who are now scouring tax evasion to support themselves. The world has simply changed without notice. In order to support the subsidies call, we MUST look inward and see what extra effort, as citizens, we can put in (EVERYONE) to ensure we maintain an economically viable nation. Other than that the control is not in our hands…
Choose between subsidies and pension payment. Maybe you should have asked for prudent use of savings ie cut induced by elections and costly d.ministers
Fellow pensioners READ the PF manifesto as recommended by Kabimba. On social security the PF manifesto states that under the MMD government the administration of the social security system has left the majority of workers destitute on retirement. This is due to unrealistic and inadequate retirement packages which are often overtaken by inflation and the ever rising cost of living. Imagine if KK was still getting the same 1991 pension. He would be a destitute too. But he doesn’t because MMD politicians were selfish. As a senior engineer I get K150,000 or KR15. Obviously even with subsidies this is very little money. Let the PF implement their manifesto. Count me out on susidies. I want a realistic pension, not subsidies.
The KR15 is per month.