Pensioners also need help

The effects of the deadly coronavirus are with us, and while much focus is justifiably placed on the needs of the poorest of the poor, one should also be mindful of the needs of the pensioners served by the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF). It seems, though, that this equally vulnerable group is easily forgotten when the effects of the pandemic are being discussed.

In light of the relief packages for almost all sectors of society, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week, the Civil Servants Pension Redress Movement (CSPRM) proposes that an amount of R500 also be paid to all GEPF pensioners and beneficiaries whose monthly pension amounts to less than R6,500. This arrangement should last for the next six months.

We believe this will go some way to alleviate the difficulties faced by specifically these GEPF members of whom 30,000 are represented by the CSPRM across all nine provinces during these trying times. Our members have already been left out of the pension redress initiative launched earlier, an injustice we are trying to correct.

In the meantime, there is this unprecedented, debilitating crisis posing a serious threat specifically to citizens of our members’ age. We are also calling on the government to involve retired nurses and teachers in efforts to deal with the effects of the pandemic at local schools and health-care facilities.

Given the financial stress on the government, we suggest that the proposed corona lifeline be provided by the GEPF.

If, in the recent past, it was deemed appropriate to consider using GEPF funds to save ailing state-owned enterprises, we see no reason our proposal should not be considered by the government and the GEPF. David Jantjies

Civil Servants Pension Redress Movement