The National Society for Public Service Pensioners, Retirees and Pensioners-PUSERREZA- has accused the Ministry of Justice of not being truthful to President Hakainde Hichilema on matters pertaining to the payment of the recalculated pension benefits to public service retirees and retrenchees.
Speaking at a briefing in Lusaka this morning, Society National Vice Chairperson Mutinta Cheelo said President Hichilema has on a number of occasions stated that the retirees and retrenchees have already been paid in full when in fact not.
Ms. Cheelo notes that the matter is a litigated case which took place between 2003 and 2011 when the case was concluded in the courts of law in favour of the retirees and retrenchees who were retired between 1999 and 2008 in national interest.
She has expressed concern over the manner in which the Government is releasing the funding to redeem the outstanding bill since the first instalment in June 2016, adding that the colossal amount is in the range of K360,000,000 without the 6 percent annual interest for each year passing, bringing it to a total of 90 percent interest to date, making it K684,000,000.
Ms. Cheelo has questioned how long it will take the Government to clear this huge bill, looking at the small amounts they are releasing quarterly towards the same, which she says are at times K1000 per individual and that sometimes money never comes after the 3 months.
She has appealed to President Hichilema to help the aging retirees to get their terminal benefits in full, noting that from a total of 5,000 affected retirees, only 1,700 have been paid in full, leaving a total number of 3,300 unpaid.
Effort to get a comment from the Ministry of Justice failed by broadcast time.
-PHOENIX NEWS