A former employee of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), one of hundreds of workers retrenched by the national broadcaster, is still waiting for his pension, ten years after being laid off.
In 2015, ZBC retrenched nearly 400 employees in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling in the Zuva Petroleum case.
The judgment permitted employers to terminate contracts with just three months’ notice, triggering widespread job losses across multiple sectors, including state media.
Now, a decade later, the former ZBC worker has made a heartfelt appeal to Helliate Rushwaya, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s niece and current ZBC board chair, urging her to fast-track the long-overdue pension payments.
He expressed hope that the new law requiring all motorists to pay ZBC licence fees will provide the broadcaster with the necessary funds to finally settle outstanding pension payments. Below is the former ZBC employee’s open letter:
On August 11, 2015, I, together with 399 colleagues, were unceremoniously retrenched by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
Unceremonious in the sense that upon receiving that dreaded letter, one was immediately asked to surrender the ZBC staff card and assigned a security officer to accompany you to your office to clear your personal effects and leave the premises.
I had worked for the Corporation for 13 years, some had worked for longer. The reason for the retrenchment according to the letter, signed off by acting chief executive officer, Patrick Mavhura was that “the employer has decided to exercise its right in terms of the Common Law and Section 12(4) of the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) to terminate your contract of employment on notice with immediate effect. In this regard, you are hereby given three (3) months’ notice in terms of provisions of Section 12(4) of the Labour Act.”
Seven months later, on March 16, 2016, I received a follow-up letter this time signed off by Acting Head, Finance, Human Resources and Administration, Benania Shumba.
In the letter, she said that financial constraints faced by the corporation have resulted in cash in lieu of leave to be paid in the second quarter of 2016.
The following day, March 17, 2016, I received yet another letter, signed by Benania Shumba, promising to settle my pension benefits if I signed an attached Old Mutual employee benefits termination form.
I had to provide a certified copy of “proof of age”. (really!?) She wanted the document by 29 March 2016. This was duly done before the said deadline.
Since then, ten years down the line, that pension is still outstanding! There have been several ministers appointed to the parent ministry of ZBC.
Also, several boards of directors have come and gone, and a “new” Permanent Secretary has been appointed.
The downside of this “tragedy” is that those we collectively thought would help, up to now appear not concerned at all or they just don’t give a damn.
That is the parent ministry. They are operating like it is business as usual. It is not business as usual when a national broadcaster operating four national commercial radio stations and a national television channel fails to settle its obligations for TEN YEARS. Failing to attract advertisers!
The only person who showed a bit of empathy to our plight was Dr. Josaya Tai, the immediate past ZBC board chairman. He made an effort and paid off some of my colleagues, albeit just a few.
My colleagues and I are suffering. Some passed on in pain, having failed to raise money for medication and other necessities vital for survival.
Imagine after working for an organisation for more than 30 years, you are asked to leave empty-handed handed yet every month, they were deducting your salary for pension obligations.
The more daring, like my brother Simon Pashoma, could not take it any more and went public begging for assistance from Wicknell.
We all thought that after that embarrassing episode, the powers that be would be moved, but nothing! They didn’t care, and still they don’t care.
I don’t know if this is a dereliction of duty or simply not caring for the welfare of former employees because they have been used and expended. If this is not satanic, then I don’t know what is!
Now that ZBC will be receiving a substantial amount of taxpayers’ money (they have been receiving it for years, it is just that now it is compulsory, a tax), we hope that our TEN-YEAR wait for our pension payout is finally over.
We appeal to the President’s niece, Ms Helliate Rushwaya, as the current ZBC board chair, to expedite the payment of our pensions, albeit 10 years down the line.
ZBC should change course, create content which resonates with advertisers and give everyone a voice just like the SABC!
I rest my case.
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