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Request To Retire At 50

Garobasen Hoaeb, The Namibian

Namibia

July 20, 2004


Photo of Namibian Elder By Jacob Holdt

I would like to air my views through your newspaper to the Prime Minister as the head of the civil service.

Due to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and the high rate of deaths in Namibia, I would like to ask our dear Prime Minister to reduce the retirement age of civil servants from 55 years to 50 years.

For example I am 53 years old and forced by law to hang on until I'm 55, while I have already served 35 years and am spiritually and physically burnt out.

The doctors said I must hang on because they cannot write me off.

Please dear Prime Minister go into this matter and give us a democratic choice, those who are strong and productive can go on even until 60.

Those who have started working at a young age can be given a choice to retire earlier, at least at 50 years.

I also think that the release of older people earlier can give a chance to young educated people to enter the civil service.

Only about 10% older people over 50-60 years are productive, the other 50% are going to work because they are forced by law to reach a required age.

Finally dear Prime Minister, there are agents going around telling old people to retire and to transfer their pension monies to private insurance companies.

The problem here is the very high tax if one withdraws money from the fund.

About 35% is deducted.

Please let this practise be stopped.

The GIPF must deal directly with the pensioner who wants to retire.

A tax deduction of 20% can be considered because we want to get a decent pension to go into farming or to start a new business.

I hope this voice of an ordinary civil servant can also be heard.

The government of today only listens to the voices of the highly educated people, therefore many documented ideas and programmes cannot be implemented because the people on the ground are ignored.

Our government must seriously look into the current laws regulating the government pension fund.

For example a labourer working for 40 years is getting N$30 000 (lump sum) and monthly N$ 500.00.

What is this? The Prime Minister, Public Service Commission, Napwu, Nantu, Parliamentarians must look into this matter.

The politicians were very clever because they de-link and establish their own pension funds.

A very good idea.

Please also think about us.

In conclusion, I urge my dear Prime Minister to do at least one good thing for the public servants because we do not know what will happen after March 2005.

We pray for the new President Pohamba to keep the current Prime Minister for the next 5 years in the past so that the public service can be cleaned.

I salute you Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab.