Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

Source: Frequent-Flying President Preaching Thrift Draws Ire in Zimbabwe – Bloomberg

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Source: Zim banks on new insurance bill | Daily News

THE Insurance and Pensions Commissions (Ipec) says the proposed Insurance Bill will introduce some improvements to Zimbabwe’s insurance consumer protection framework.

Blessmore Kazengura, Ipec’s acting commissioner of insurance, pension and provident funds, said the upcoming legislation is part of the regulatory body’s efforts to improve consumer protection in the local insurance industry.

“One of the functions of Ipec is to ensure that consumers of insurance and pension products are protected. There is a bill that will be introduced soon which will make provisions for the improvement of the protection of consumers in the local industry,” he told journalists at an insurance and pensions workshop in Harare recently.

Kazengura said Ipec’s consumer education programmes are another example of the regulator’s keenness on protection.
“To us, there is no better way to protect consumers of financial products than imparting adequate knowledge regarding product features, their terms and conditions, consumer rights, obligations and responsibilities.

“The primary pillar of consumer protection is financial literacy, particularly an awareness of the elementary principles and statutes that governs the buying, selling or servicing of insurance and pension products,” he said.

The commissioner noted that a secondary pillar of protection “is the effective supervision of market conduct through enhanced disclosure, risk-based prudential supervision and safety nets such as Policyholder Protection Funds or Insurance Guarantee Funds”.
He implored journalists to lend the regulator a hand in educating the masses as a way of improving consumer protection.
“For instance, we would want you to educate the public about their insurance and pension rights.

“A case in point, being that employees who are contributing to a pension scheme must check whether their contributions are being remitted to their respective pension funds. We have over $600 million in pension contribution arrears meaning that if the trend continues like that, those who are contributing may not get their pension benefits at retirement, as the pension fund would not have received such contributions,” he said.

“We also have about 50 000 pensioners and beneficiaries who have not been claiming their pension benefits to the tune of $30 million.

“Such beneficiaries of the unclaimed benefits could be living in poverty yet they have money lying idle at the pension funds. It is, therefore, your duty as responsible citizens to educate pension scheme members about their right to benefits when they are due,” Kazengura added.

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Source: Local authorities 'lack road  infrastructure' | Daily News

A REPORT by the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe (Ucaz) reveals that very few local authorities have adequate road infrastructure.

The report based on service delivery benchmarking stated that only 21,2 percent of roads in the 32 urban councils were in good condition.

Ucaz emphasised the need for more resources to be channelled towards roads maintenance if the roads are to be trafficable.

“Coverage of road network stands at 63,1 percent. This indicates that there are settlements with no road infrastructure. Sealing of roads is at 52 percent across councils and 21,2 percent of sealed roads are in good condition,” read part of the report.
The report also indicated that routine maintenance on the roads was at 61 percent as some areas hardly repaired their roads.

Ucaz also noted that only 10 percent of the roads in urban councils have carriageway markings even after repairs and maintenance works have been conducted.
“16,9 percent of roads have controlled intersections, while coverage of public lights is on average five percent across local authorities.

Last year, the parliamentary portfolio committee on Local Government observed that there is a dilemma where disbursements of funds from the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration were concerned.

The committee after touring Zinara-funded road works said local authorities were of the view that the bulk of the funds allocated should be disbursed at once and at the beginning of the year to enable them to do the works on time and to pay contractors.

“Zinara explained that they disburse the funds depending on what has been collected from tollgates, vehicle licence and other sources. The Committee noted the need for Zinara to come up with a system, a procedure and time frame for payment of IPCs.

The Committee observed that contractors would have used their own resources to do the works and to wait for months again after the certificate has been issued was not fair.”

“The Committee noted that late payments are not only affecting the contractors but the local authorities themselves because some contractors are now leaving sites without completing the works and the unfinished works are being washed away by rains,” read part of the committee’s observations.

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Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique on March 15, unleashing hurricane-force winds and heavy rains that flooded much of the centre of the country.

Source: Cyclone-ravaged Mozambique reports cholera cases | eNCA

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A ZIMBABWEAN truck driver is battling for life at a hospital in Durban, KwaZulu Natal province in South Africa after he was caught up in suspected fresh xenophobic attacks in the neighbouring country. More than 100 foreigners, among them Zimbabweans, were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge at Sydenham Police Station. Zimbabwe’s Consul General to South Africa, Mr Batiraishe