Zupco pension nightmare

A former employee of the state-owned transport company, the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco), has raised serious concerns over the non-payment of his pension benefits, saying he has spent more than a decade knocking on closed doors without answers.

Sitshoni Moyo (83) says his ordeal began in 2000 when he retired after serving the company for more than 15 years, only for his pension benefits to never be paid—despite claims that other former employees received theirs.

"I worked for the company for more than 15 years and retired in 2000," said Moyo.

"I have been pursuing this matter since 2010 to no avail, yet some former Zupco employees have been paid their pensions."

Moyo said he has been shuttled between numerous offices, including pension administrators, trade unions, and human rights institutions, without any resolution to his long-standing grievance.

"They keep telling me that I was paid, but the money never reached my hands," he said.

"I do not understand what I did wrong for my pension to be withheld."

The elderly pensioner revealed that he has sought assistance from the police, lawyers, and various civic organisations, but claims none of the responsible institutions have provided a meaningful response or solution.

"This issue has affected my life badly. My family has suffered because of this unpaid pension," Moyo said.

He added that correspondence from several offices, including former employers and civic bodies, shows that the matter has been under discussion for years. However, he alleges that pension administrators have remained unwilling to release his benefits, without giving clear reasons.

Efforts to obtain a comment from Zupco were unsuccessful by the time of publication.