PP brings hope to Venda pension beneficiaries

The visit by the Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to Vhembe has renewed the hopes of Venda pension beneficiaries that they will soon be smiling all the way to the bank.

Mkhwebane visited the area on Monday and spent the day interacting with members of the communities on a number of issues affecting them.

She was in the area to familiarize herself with problems facing the people in the district as part of her four-month-long nationwide stakeholders meetings, where she outlined her vision to the communities. The meeting, which attracted many community members and other stakeholders, was held at the Thohoyandou Town Hall.

During the meeting, residents were afforded the opportunity to raise their problems, which were responded to by the mayors in the district and the public protector herself. Top of the problems the community raised was the burning issue of the Venda pension fund, which has remained unresolved for decades.

The other was the Nandoni Dam problem, which has been dragging on for years since the construction of the dam.

Representing the Vhembe Concerned Pensioners Group, an organization representing thousands of members of the former Venda pension scheme, Mr Tshimangadzo Tshiololi said the matter had been dragging on for more than 20 years and that many had passed on because of illnesses resulting from the delayed payment of their monies. 

Mr Solomon Baloyi of the Nandoni Complaints Resolution Committee urged the public protector to revisit the Nandoni problem, saying it was urgent as it involved the lives of many people.

In response, Mkhwebane urged the communities not to destroy property when faced with challenges, but to discuss them and, if all avenues had been exhausted, to approach her for help. She also said that an office would be opened in Thohoyandou soon for easy access for all those with problems.

She would not be drawn on the time frames about the payment of the Venda pensions, saying she was to receive a progress report from the government this week. 

Date:06 March 2017

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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