NRZ pensioners slam paltry payout

NATIONAL Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) pensioners have slammed the parastatal over its failure to increase their monthly payouts pegged at a paltry $500 rendering them destitute.

A group of irate pensioners yesterday stormed the Southern Eye offices to register their anger at the parastatal which has not honoured its promise made in 2019 to peg the pensions against the interbank rate.

“Before the introduction of bond notes, our pension allowances were ranging from US$400 to US$500. When we met with the management last year, they promised to implement an interbank rate to the same amount, but currently we are still getting $500 bond which shows that nothing was done in terms of changes,” said one of the disgruntled pensioners who refused to be named.

“We are not happy with the money we are getting because the management is not fulfilling its promise to increase our pension to match the US$ era levels through the 2020 interbank rate system. As we are speaking, $500 is nothing. We are now destitute and the money cannot buy 10kg of mealie-meal.”

Another pensioner said an NRZ director identified as Dhliwayo met with pensioners at Sizinda Hall last year to address the matter and promised that this year the money would be pegged at the interbank rate.

“We are failing to meet our daily needs, we cannot even afford to pay school fees for our children and some of pensioners are receiving COVID-19 allowances while we are getting peanuts,” he said.

“The management keeps on shifting goalposts. We met with them in February this year and they promised the money would be increased in no time. Unfortunately that did not happen. We again met them in June to ask about the increment.”

NRZ spokesperson Nyasha Maravanyika declined to comment saying the pension fund office was better placed to comment.

“I cannot comment on the matter but the NRZ Pension Fund office is the one that should be commenting on the matter,” he said.

Officials from the pension fund were not picking calls yesterday.