Govt clarifies retirement age extension

Blessings Chidakwa-Herald Reporter

THE extension of the retirement age for uniformed forces and civil servants seeks to leverage their skills and vast experience, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.

In an interview in Harare yesterday, Minister Ziyambi said the move also takes into account the rising life expectancy in the country, with middle-aged adults now on average reaching their 80s.

Effective immediately, the retirement age for members of the uniformed forces and the three civilian public services has been raised by five years. 

This change aligns Zimbabwe with international trends, as seen in countries like China and France, which have also adjusted their retirement ages. 

Without such adjustments, either pensions would have to be reduced or the working population would have to support far more older people as technology and medical advances mean that people live longer and in any case, most jobs do not require backbreaking physical work. 

Minister Ziyambi said Cabinet’s decision stemmed from an evaluation of the current life expectancy, which now averages 80 years. 

He underscored the importance of the use of experienced personnel for enhanced efficiency.

“Why waste productivity and experience? Instead, we must tap into that. We must harness experience to ensure efficiency. We started with the judges to say those capable must serve on the bench so as to harness experience on justice delivery,” Minister Ziyambi said. 

The retirement age for judges was adjusted to 70, with an option to serve until 75 for those who are mentally and physically fit.

Concerns regarding reduced opportunities for younger workers were addressed by Minister Ziyambi, who indicated that the job market would eventually adjust to the changes as, in the end, the older workers would eventually retire.

According to Statutory Instrument 198 of 2024, the retirement age for civil servants has been raised from 65 to 70. Regular soldiers can now retire at 55, up from 50, with options to extend their service to 60 and even 65.

Commissioned officers in the Zimbabwe Defence Forces can now retire at 65, with the possibility to serve until 70.

This trend is not unique to Zimbabwe. 

China has initiated a gradual increase in retirement ages for many job categories, and France has raised its state pension age from 62 to 64 in recent reforms.