President urges dignified retirement for civil servants

Source: President urges dignified retirement for civil servants** – herald**

Samuel Kadungure-Mutare Bureau

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has called on civil servants to reimagine retirement as a period of continued productivity, mentorship and national service, saying the country cannot afford to sideline the experience of senior citizens.

Addressing delegates at the third Public Service Commission Retirement Conference in Mutare yesterday, where he was represented by Vice President Dr Kembo Mohadi, the President said retirement should not be viewed as withdrawal from society, but as a transition into new roles that benefit families, communities and the nation.

Earlier, VP Mohadi had commissioned 55 new PSC buses procured by Government to ease transport challenges facing civil servants nationwide.

The buses will be distributed across all provinces, with Manicaland receiving five to improve attendance, operational efficiency and service delivery, in line with Vision 2030’s goal of building a capable, productive and service-oriented public service.

The conference, which ends tomorrow, is running under the theme, “Bridging the gaps: Sustainable retirement solutions for public sector workers”, with the guiding call being: “Serving the nation, securing the future.”

President Mnangagwa said the gathering went beyond policy deliberations, emphasising the need to honour public servants who dedicate their working lives to national development.

“This gathering speaks, not only to our collective responsibility to honour those who have dedicated their lives to public service, but also to our enduring commitment to building a secure, dignified, and resilient future for every servant of the State,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said the participation of delegates from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) demonstrated a shared commitment to strengthening public institutions.

“In the true spirit of African unity and solidarity, we do not regard you as guests, but as members of one African family, bound not merely by geography, but by a shared history, common heritage, and a collective destiny,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said thousands of men and women had devoted their lives to public service by teaching children, healing the sick, safeguarding peace and security, delivering essential services and building national institutions.

Government, he said, must answer a fundamental question of national conscience on how it honours those who have served when they reach retirement.

“A nation that truly values its workers must, with equal resolve, value their retirement. The security and dignity of our retirees are therefore not matters of convenience, but of principle.

“They constitute a moral obligation we must uphold, an economic necessity we cannot ignore, and a foundational pillar upon which sustainable national development must be built,” President Mnangagwa said.

He said the retirement agenda was directly linked to the country’s Vision 2030 aspirations, arguing that a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society could not be achieved if those who contributed to national development retired into uncertainty and vulnerability.

The President added that the economic challenges of the past, shaped partly by sanctions and other external pressures, had provided important lessons on resilience and self-reliance.

Guided by these lessons, he said, the Second Republic had remained committed to strengthening social protection mechanisms to safeguard the welfare of those who had served the nation.

President Mnangagwa said he had directed Government to place renewed emphasis on retirement preparedness and ensure institutions equipped workers with the knowledge, tools and support needed to plan for life beyond active employment.

He commended the PSC for embedding retirement planning into public sector human capital development since the inaugural Retirement Conference in 2024, describing the initiative as a progressive shift towards a more holistic, life-cycle approach.

President Mnangagwa said retirement preparedness should be viewed comprehensively, rather than being confined to pensions.

He said financial literacy, health and wellness, lifelong learning, home ownership, estate planning, entrepreneurship, income diversification and active social and community engagement were all critical components of a dignified retirement.

“Accordingly, the success of retirement is not determined by age alone, but by the quality of decisions and investments made throughout one’s working life”.

President Mnangagwa said Government remained committed to establishing a modern, efficient and sustainable pension system that protects contributors and delivers meaningful benefits.

He welcomed progress made through the establishment and operationalisation of the Public Service Pension Fund, describing it as a significant shift from the traditional pay-as-you-go model towards a more sustainable funded hybrid framework.

Government is also advancing pension reforms through the State Service Pensions Bill, which seeks to modernise pension administration, improve governance, strengthen accountability and enhance protection of retirement savings.

The reforms are also expected to strengthen regulation and transparency across the pensions and insurance sectors.

However, President Mnangagwa said pension reform alone could not guarantee a dignified retirement, encouraging workers to acquire assets, build savings and establish alternative sources of income.

“Many public servants possess skills, experience and innovative ideas that can be converted into successful enterprises during their working years and beyond retirement,” he said, encouraging institutions to develop policies that support responsible entrepreneurship.

The President urged public servants to embrace early planning, regular savings, strategic investments, skills development, health preservation and asset acquisition.

“These are the foundations upon which dignified retirement is built. Retirement systems thrive in stable and growing economies.

“Through prudent stewardship, pension funds are not only securing the future of their members but are also playing a pivotal role in advancing our national development agenda,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said retirement security remained a shared responsibility among nations and called for strengthened regional collaboration and the exchange of best practices to build more resilient systems.

“It is my expectation that the outcomes of this conference will make a meaningful contribution to the work of the SADC Public Service Commissions Forum and related regional initiatives.

“The future we seek requires deliberate action today. Let this conference reaffirm our shared commitment to ensuring that every public servant who faithfully serves our nation retires with dignity, security and purpose,” he said.

The conference was attended by Government officials, pensioners’ associations, private sector representatives, academics and delegates from SADC countries.

Discussions focused on financial planning, health and wellness, and active ageing, among other issues affecting public sector workers before and after retirement.

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