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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

African Journal of Social Work, 3(1), August 2013                                                1 

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SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR THE ELDERLY IN 

ZIMBABWE: ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND 

PROSPECTS 

Dhemba, Jotham 

 

ABSTRACT 

This article was mainly based on a review of secondary sources of 

data and assesses the efficacy of existing social protection measures 

in averting the syndrome of poverty in old age. This is inspired by 

the view that the elderly have an inalienable right to social 

protection. The paper argues that existing anti-poverty measures, 

namely public assistance; the Pension and Other Benefits Scheme 

and other social welfare programmes are compromised by low 

coverage of the elderly among other vulnerable groups and the 

failure to provide adequate benefits. The use of the means-test in the 

implementation of the Older Persons Act (Chapter 17:11) of 2012 

restricts the number of beneficiaries. In order to guarantee income 

and good health in old age, there is need to transform existing social 

protection measures in order to increase their coverage and to 

review the Older Persons Act so that it provides public assistance 

universally to the elderly. In addition the government should provide 

financial support to families caring for elderly relatives and to 

stimulate and achieve sustainable economic growth in order to 

create a basis for funding social protection measures.  

 

KEY TERMS: ageing, elderly, poverty, social protection, public 

assistance. 

 

 

 
Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, National 

University of Lesotho. Contacts: jotham_dhemba@yahoo.com P.O. Roma 
180 Maseru 100, Lesotho. 

mailto:jotham_dhemba@yahoo.com


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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

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INTRODUCTION 

While longevity should be celebrated as one of humanity’s 

achievements, it is paradoxical that ageing is a major risk factor as 

the elderly in many African countries inclusive of Zimbabwe are 

experiencing the syndromes of poverty, ill-health, neglect, 

abandonment and abuse (Ferreira, 1999 and Bello, et al 2008). 

Survival at older age can be attributed to advances in medicine 

which contributes to improved health and a higher life expectancy.  

However, according to Sen (1994), though population ageing is a 

feature in all countries, its consequences are more devastating in 

poor countries where it is occurring at a very fast pace. It is also 

paradoxical that ageing is not a priority issue in most developing 

countries leading Kalache in Sen (1994: ix) to lament that “the most 

neglected of all developmental issues- and the surest in its 

progression- is population ageing”. There is therefore need to align 

social protection measures in developing countries in general and 

Zimbabwe in particular to 21
st
 century demographics. According to 

the Asian Development Bank (2007:1) social protection is a strategy 

“consisting of policies and programmes to reduce poverty and 

vulnerability by promoting efficient labour markets, diminishing 

people’s exposure to risks, enhancing their capacity to protect 

themselves against hazards and interruption/loss of income”. In 

essence social protection includes social insurance, public assistance 

and welfare programmes.  



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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

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Though the definition of the elderly, also referred to as older 

persons, is contested terrain; this article adopts the United Nations 

position agreed upon at the World Assembly on Ageing at Vienna in 

1982, which incorporates all persons aged 60 years and over. 

According to the United Nations (2009) 6% of Zimbabwe’s 

population of 12,523 million people comprises of the elderly, and 

that this is projected to rise to 12% by 2050. 

As will be shown later, the elderly in Zimbabwe are languishing in 

poverty mainly due to the absence of comprehensive policies 

focusing specifically on the elderly. The underdeveloped economic 

environment is also to blame for the plight of the elderly. 

Furthermore, while it has always been thought that the strength of 

tradition and family solidarity would avert social and economic 

insecurity in old age, Kaseke and Dhemba (2007) contend that new 

values of individualism emerging in African countries expose 

vulnerable populations to insecurity. 

An analysis of the Poverty Assessment Study Survey findings by 

Madzingira (1997) confirms that poverty in Zimbabwe is very high. 

She highlights that 78, 5% of the elderly in Zimbabwe were 

classified as poor or very poor. They experienced shortage of food, 

clothing, lack of or poor accommodation, ill health and lack of 

draught power for those residing in rural areas. On the same note 

Hutton (2008) observes that the elderly in developing countries 

experience disproportionately high levels of poverty as about 80% of 

them have no regular income.  



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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

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Of concern is that United Nations member states, inclusive of 

Zimbabwe adopted the Principles for Older Persons, Resolution 

46/91 by the General Assembly in 1991 and the Madrid International 

Plan on Ageing in 2002 by the World Assembly on Ageing all of 

which require member states to provide social protection to the 

elderly. Article 22 of the United Nations Declaration of Human 

Rights of 10 December, 1948 also attests to the right of all citizens, 

inclusive of the elderly to social protection. Furthermore, Zimbabwe 

is a signatory to the Millennium Declaration (United Nations 

Millennium Development Goals of September 2000) whereby it 

committed itself, among other United Nations member states, to 

achieve set development goals including the eradication of extreme 

poverty and hunger by 2015. The specific targets for this goal 

(which is goal number 1of the MDGs) are: to halve the proportion of 

people whose income is less than US$1.25 a day and to halve the 

proportion of people who suffer from hunger. 

With only about two years remaining, as the year 2015 draws closer, 

there is need to assess whether Zimbabwe is on track to reduce the 

problem of poverty and hunger among the elderly in the country. 

The aim of this article is therefore to examine the extent to which 

social protection measures in Zimbabwe are meeting the financial 

and health needs of the elderly in the country given that in terms of 

the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, among other 

international conventions the elderly also have a right to social 

security. Similarly, if one considers that the year 2015 which is the 



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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

African Journal of Social Work, 3(1), August 2013                                                5 

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target for having eradicated extreme poverty and hunger among 

other goals is fast approaching, it is necessary to assess the situation 

of the elderly in Zimbabwe. 

OBJECTIVES 

The specific objectives of this article are to assess the efficacy of 

social protection measures in Zimbabwe in meeting the financial and 

health needs of the elderly and to suggest ways of ensuring that the 

financial and health needs of the elderly in Zimbabwe are met. 

SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR THE ELDERLY 

Social protection for the elderly in Zimbabwe is a shared 

responsibility of the family, local and international NGO’s and the 

state. The state operates two mainstream social protection measures 

namely public assistance and the Pensions and Other Benefits 

Scheme.  

The public assistance programme which is administered by the 

Department of Social Services caters for the elderly inclusive of 

other vulnerable groups in the population. The state also operates a 

social insurance scheme, the Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme 

under the auspices of the National Social Security Authority of 

Zimbabwe. This scheme provides for retirement pensions in old age 

to formally employed workers only. The state also provides social 

welfare services such as free health care for vulnerable groups in the 

population including the elderly. In addition the Department of 



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Social Services is also implementing the National Action Plan for 

Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) pilot project which inter 

alia caters for cash transfers to destitute elderly. This programme is 

funded mainly by donors including UNICEF. NGOs such as 

HelpAge Zimbabwe also provide support to destitute elderly 

including institutional care. The Older Persons Act of 2012 which 

provides for public assistance, among other services to the elderly 

aged 65 years and above was also enacted recently but it is yet to be 

implemented These measures are examined below. 

Public assistance 

The Public Assistance Scheme in Zimbabwe provides for means-

tested non-contributory maintenance allowances to the poor, 

inclusive of the elderly. According to Mupedziswa (1995) the 

problem with this scheme is that it is operated in accordance with the 

residual approach which holds that an individual’s needs should be 

met by the family or market system and that the state should only 

assist when these systems breakdown. A means-test is therefore 

applied to determine eligibility for assistance and as can be expected 

many of the elderly are denied assistance because of the erroneous 

assumption that the extended family system is still functional. 

However, the reality on the ground is that the traditional social 

support systems of the family and community have been rendered 

ineffective as a result of the destabilising effects of modernisation, 

industrialisation and urbanisation and more recently globalisation. 

On the same note, Dhemba (1990) in a study carried out in 



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Zimbabwe found that only 7, 5% of retirees covered in the study 

were getting adequate support from their families. 

Furthermore, the public assistance allowance is only US$20 a month 

(as at 10 November 2012) which is far below the United Nations 

“official” poverty line of US$1.25 per day (Department of Social 

Services Official 2012). According to Kaseke, et al (1998) potential 

beneficiaries are also discouraged from applying as they have to 

contend with transport costs given that social welfare offices are not 

always within easy rich. This problem is also compounded by the 

fact that even for the lucky few who manage to access assistance; its 

disbursement is erratic owing to perennial underfunding of the 

Department of Social Services (Kaseke, 1998). As an example, in 

the period January to September 2012 beneficiaries only got 

allowances for one month (Department of Social Services Official 

2012). Furthermore, Kaseke, et al (1998) maintains that there is a 

lack of awareness of the existence of the public assistance scheme 

and as a result many potential beneficiaries do not apply for 

assistance. 

Social insurance 

The National Social Security Authority in Zimbabwe operates a 

contributory and compulsory Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme, 

which provides for retirement pension in old age among other 

services. This scheme was introduced in 1994 and because of its 

contributory nature it only caters for employees in the formal sector. 



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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

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Furthermore, retirement pension is only US$40 a month for most 

retirees; leading labour unions in the country describe it as 

“peanuts”. Dhemba (2012) also observes that most of the elderly are 

unlikely to be covered under this scheme given the high levels of 

unemployment in the country. Unofficial estimates put the level of 

unemployment in Zimbabwe at more than 70%. 

Institutional care 

The public assistance programme in Zimbabwe provides for 

alternative care for destitute elderly, but only as a last resort. Kaseke, 

Dhemba, Gumbo and Kasere (1998:60) point out that “there are 

about 71 old people’s homes in Zimbabwe”, which is indicative of 

the breakdown of the extended family support system and high 

levels of poverty among the elderly. According to Tran (2012) 

ideally the elderly want to “age in place” that is within their families 

and communities, but this is only possible with a guaranteed income, 

family and community care.  

Free health 

Though the elderly in Zimbabwe are entitled to free health services, 

Kasere (1992: 59) argues that “there is almost a total absence of a 

health care delivery system specifically for the health needs of the 

elderly. The elderly have to make do with an existing general care 

system which is not only inadequate for their specific needs but is 

also not easily accessible to them.” Furthermore, Kaseke, et al 

(1998) maintain that the elderly are not benefitting from free health 



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services as the hospitals and clinics are always congested and there 

is also a shortage of drugs and medical personnel. It is also 

government policy that children get priority in accessing medical 

care ahead of adults inclusive of the elderly.  

Older Persons Act 

Recognising old age as a distinct vulnerability, the government of 

Zimbabwe enacted the Older Persons Act of 2012 which provides 

for means-tested but non-contributory public assistance allowances 

among other services for the elderly. However, it is important to 

restate that the Older Persons Act is yet to be implemented and the 

level of public assistance allowances is also still to be determined. It 

should also be noted that the continued procrastination to implement 

provisions of the Act is indicative of the lack of political will to 

provide protection for the elderly. This also has potential to lead to 

speculation that the scheme is unlikely to receive adequate funding. 

Zimbabwe’s Older Persons Act does not guarantee social and 

economic security in old age as applicants are means-tested.  It also 

excludes those aged 60 to 64 years as the minimum qualifying age 

threshold for the public assistance is 65 years and above and yet the 

onset of old age as defined by the United Nations is 60 years. 

National Action Plan (NAP) for OVC Phase 11 

The donor funded National Action Plan for OVC which is now in its 

second phase and is being piloted in 10 of the poorest districts in 



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each of the country’s ten provinces also provides social protection 

for the elderly among other vulnerable populations. It provides cash 

transfer of US$25 per household and US$10 per person living alone 

(Department of Social Services 2012). However, because the cash 

transfer scheme is means-tested the elderly with adult children are 

likely to be excluded from coverage. The Department of Social 

Services Official also indicated that “it focuses on labour constrained 

households”. The cash transfer amount is evidently inadequate as it 

much less than the United Nations poverty line of US$1.25 per day. 

This amount can therefore not be expected to meet the needs of 

beneficiaries for food, shelter and other basic necessities. The 

official from the Department also expressed reservations on the 

sustainability of this programme considering that it is donor driven. 

DISCUSSION 

Though Zimbabwe should be lauded for continuing to develop social 

protection measures for its people, existing schemes do not address 

the needs of the elderly in a comprehensive manner. What is also 

disappointing is that even the recently enacted Older Persons Act 

which was expected to address the shortcomings of the public 

assistance scheme and the Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme also 

fails to address the problem of poverty among the elderly.  

The public assistance scheme which is one of the major social 

security schemes in the country is not a viable social safety net. 

Firstly, the scheme is compromised by the application of a means-



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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

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test, which effectively restricts the number of beneficiaries as some 

fail to meet the eligibility criteria. As pointed out elsewhere some 

potential beneficiaries find the transport costs to the nearest social 

welfare office where they are required to launch their application for 

assistance prohibitive and are therefore excluded from accessing the 

scheme. Furthermore, as Kaseke et al (1998) observe some potential 

beneficiaries are also not aware of the existence of the scheme and 

they therefore do not avail themselves for assistance.   

Second and perhaps quite worrisome is that the public assistance 

allowance provided for under this scheme (US$20) is far below the 

United Nations minimum of US$1.25 a day which is not enough to 

meet the needs of the elderly. Also compounding this problem is the 

erratic disbursement of the public assistance. As indicated 

elsewhere, recipients of public assistance only got allowances for 

one month during the period January to September 2012 

(Department of Social Services Official, 2012). Therefore even the 

few who manage to qualify for public assistance do not always get 

the allowances owing to inadequate funding of the programme. This 

state of affairs is consistent with the ILO (2000: 81) observation that 

in many countries “social assistance usually takes a relatively low 

priority among other social services such as health, education and 

employment”.  

On the basis of the above it can safely be argued that the public 

assistance programme is not on track in meeting the Millennium 



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Development Goal of alleviating poverty among the general 

population of Zimbabwe inclusive of the elderly by the year 2015. 

On the other hand, the Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme, a social 

insurance scheme providing for retirement pension in old age among 

other benefits is supposed to complement the public assistance 

programme. However, because of its exclusive focus on formally 

employed workers it is also compromised by the low coverage of the 

scheme. It excludes the unemployed, informal sector workers, 

domestic workers and rural peasant farmers from coverage mainly 

because the scheme is funded from the monthly contributions of 

employers and their employees. On this basis the unemployed and 

self-employed are assumed to lack the capacity to finance the dual 

contributions required. However, as Dhemba, et al (2002:114) 

observe “a number of countries in the developing world, including 

Jamaica, Egypt, the Philippines and Barbados, have extended limited 

protection to some sectors of the self-employed population”. In this 

regard Schultz (1992) notes that the social insurance scheme in the 

Philippines extended coverage to farmers and fisherman which goes 

to show that it is possible to assimilate those operating outside the 

formal sector in national social insurance schemes.        

The high levels of unemployment in the country also mean that only 

a minority of the population is covered under this scheme.  As 

Kaseke (1997) observes, the proportion of those in employment in 

Eastern and Southern Africa does not constitute more than 25% of 

the total labour force. Resultantly the low coverage of the Pensions 



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and Other Benefits Scheme undermines its potential to avert and 

reduce poverty in old age. Therefore, in its current form, the 

Pensions and other Benefits Scheme cannot be relied upon for 

protection in old age.       

Similarly, as presently constituted, the Older Persons Act of 

Zimbabwe cannot be expected to reduce poverty among the elderly. 

This is because, first, the means-test that is applied inevitably leads 

to low coverage of the elderly and yet the development and 

subsequent enactment of the Older Persons Act in September 2012 

was the most opportune time to close the coverage gap of existing 

social protection arrangements. The selective provision of social 

welfare services in an environment of mass poverty only serves to 

worsen the plight of the elderly.   

Second, the means-testing to determine eligibility for public 

assistance and other services is a clear indication that this scheme is 

unlikely to receive adequate funding as government can always 

argue that they have other priorities. A case in point is the public 

assistance programme which has ceased to be a viable social safety 

net owing to poor funding and erratic disbursement of benefits. On 

this basis it can also be argued that, though the level of public 

assistance allowances is still to be determined, not much can be 

expected from this scheme. Indications are that the public assistance 

is unlikely to be pegged above the current level of the public 

assistance programme which is US$20 (Department of Social 

Welfare 2012). 



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Though there is now legislation specific to the elderly in Zimbabwe, 

namely the Older Persons Act which provides for public assistance 

allowances among other services the fact that it is yet to be 

implemented and that applicants shall be means-tested demonstrates 

failure in the design and implementation of social policies aimed at 

reducing the problem of poverty in old age. Zimbabwe needs to take 

a leaf from other countries in Southern Africa which have introduced 

old age pensions serving the same purpose as public assistance under 

the Older Persons Act. 

It is argued that the public assistance to be provided under the Older 

Persons Act should be universal, that is covering all the elderly in 

Zimbabwe. This argument is based on the evidence showing that 

social grants are the sine qua non for poverty reduction in 

developing countries. In the case of Lesotho, where they provide 

universal pension, Nyanguru (2007) contends that it leads to 

intergenerational solidarity and recipients feeling satisfied with their 

lives. This is corroborated by Croome and Mapetla (2007) who 

assert that pensioners in Lesotho use the money to buy more food 

and that they even afford buying protein rich foods such as beans, 

meat, eggs and other household needs.  

Similarly, even though the public assistance in South Africa which is 

in the form of old age pension is means-tested, Legido-Quigley 

(2003) contends that it has turned into a poverty alleviation 

programme within the household as it targets the elderly but it also 

benefits the younger generations. As Kaseke (2010) points out, 



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social grants for the elderly in South Africa amount to SAR1.010 

which is equivalent to about US$100 (as of November, 2012). 

Therefore, notwithstanding the selective nature of the South African 

old age pension, the payout for those adjudged to be deserving of 

assistance, is about three times above the United Nations poverty 

line of US$1.25 a day. This is significant in that the amount enables 

the beneficiaries to bounce out of poverty.  HelpAge International 

(2004) also points out that evidence from developing countries 

operating social grants for the elderly indicates that they have a 

positive impact on individual poverty and the household economy. 

Furthermore, contrary to the widespread belief that universal social 

grants are not sustainable in developing countries, Lloyd – Sherlock 

(2008) observes that even relatively poor countries such as Bolivia 

are able to pay an annual flat payment of around US$200 to the 

elderly aged 65 years and over.  In the case of Zimbabwe, the 

Central Statistical Office (1994) quoted in Kaseke, et al (1998:1) 

reveals that the country “has abundant natural resources and its 

economy is diversified with relatively developed commercial, 

industrial, mining and agricultural sectors”. Therefore, 

notwithstanding that the country experienced an economic meltdown 

from the year 2000 to 2009 due to unresolved political problems and 

international isolation the economy is showing signs of recovery and 

is therefore in a position to implement and finance universal public 

assistance allowances for the elderly. However, it is also necessary 

for the government to promote economic growth and development to 



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enable the country to sustain the public assistance allowances for the 

elderly. 

In this regard Weaver (2000) asserts that the commitment to 

assisting disenfranchised people has always distinguished the social 

work profession from other helping professions. It is on this basis 

that it is imperative for social workers to ensure that the plight of the 

elderly in Zimbabwe is addressed. This is also in line with the 

contention by Reyneke (2010) that social workers have an ethical 

responsibility to advocate for the provision of sufficient resources to 

the poor and marginalised. On the same note Dhemba (2012) 

maintains that it is necessary that social workers undertake a variety 

of roles, including advocacy and policy formulation in order to 

effectively serve those who experience social exclusion. The 

provision of a universal public assistance is also critical in enabling 

social workers to effectively respond to the needs of the elderly as 

they also need to draw on social work services through legislative 

and policy interventions.  

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 

Though it is laudable that Zimbabwe has made commendable 

progress in endeavours to provide social protection to the elderly, 

among other population groups through the public assistance 

programme, the Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme, initiatives by 

NGOs and communities, and the recently enacted Older Persons Act, 

the country is off-track in meeting the MDG number 1 target of 



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halving poverty and hunger by 2015. A number of gaps and unmet 

needs of the elderly remain.  

The main weaknesses of existing social protection measures are that 

they do not provide adequate benefits and their coverage of the 

elderly is not inclusive. The public assistance allowance (US$20) 

provided under the Public Assistance Scheme and the cash transfer 

of US$25 provided under the National Action Plan for OVC fall 

below the official United Nations poverty line of US$1.25 a day. 

Therefore, considering that these are potentially the main sources of 

support for the elderly, it means that even the lucky few who are 

able to get assistance still remain in poverty.  Furthermore, the 

public assistance programme not only excludes the majority of the 

elderly in Zimbabwe but it cannot be relied upon as payment of 

allowances is not always guaranteed. It is therefore imperative for 

the government to increase its budgetary allocation to the 

Department of Social Services to enable it to provide public 

assistance to the elderly on a regular basis.  There is also need for 

innovativeness to ensure broad based coverage of the Pensions and 

Other Benefits Scheme. Furthermore, while it was hoped that the 

enactment of the long awaited Older Persons Act in September 2012 

would bring some relief to the elderly, this is unlikely to be the case 

as the scheme has maintained the legacy of means-testing, which 

inevitably leads to the exclusion of the majority of the elderly.   

Given these limitations, transformation of the existing social 

protection measures is necessary if comprehensive protection is to be 



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afforded to the elderly, among other vulnerable groups. There is an 

urgent need for the review of the Old Age Pensions Act so that it 

provides for universal public assistance for the elderly. It is also 

critical to ensure that the public assistance allowances are above the 

United Nations poverty line of US$1.25 a day to enable the elderly 

to meet their basic needs for food, health and shelter to name but a 

few. In addition the scheme needs to be implemented as a matter of 

urgency as further procrastination condemns the elderly to perpetual 

suffering.  

It is also on the basis of the aforementioned that social workers, 

inclusive of those employed in the Department of Social Services 

should push for the review of the Older Persons Act.  The Act 

should provide for inclusive coverage of all the elderly in 

Zimbabwe, irrespective of their circumstances. In this regard, the 

need for Zimbabwe to stimulate and achieve sustainable economic 

growth which creates the basis for universal public assistance for the 

elderly cannot be overemphasised.  

 

 

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AJSW, Volume 3, Number 1, 2013                                                            Dhemba, J. 

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