Policy interventions

The Institute of Retirement Funds Africa (IRFA) is a public benefit organisation created to improve the retirement outcomes of as many South Africans and Africans as possible.

Membership is open to all stakeholders with an interest in improving retirement outcomes and IRFA membership is made up of industry role players from pension and provident funds, service providers and interested parties across the retirement landscape.

Newly appointed IRFA chairman of the board Wayne Hiller van Rensburg, says: “The institute’s objectives are achieved by influencing policy and the law in general, as well as regulation, through facilitating broad-based stakeholder conversations with feedback informed by a deep understanding of the pensions environment and its various stakeholders.

“In the interests of the ultimate beneficiaries of the industry, namely the members and pensioners of funds, as well as influencing the broader socioeconomic environment in terms of retirement funding, the IRFA has a long history of bringing together the best minds in the SA pensions environment.

“Office bearers and subject matter experts from the IRFA meet regularly with the Financial Services Board (FSB) and the SA Revenue Service (Sars) as well as national treasury to facilitate conversations allowing for a wide range of stakeholder input.

“Many of the IRFA inputs have been taken into account by the policy makers and regulators, validating the work done since its founding in 1987,” Van Rensburg says.

Not surprisingly, the institute’s annual conference, scheduled for August 28-30 in Durban, provokes considerable interest from industry players and stakeholders.

The 2016 conference will see the release