THE National Social Security Authority (Nssa) says it will act on officials implicated in looting the state-run pension fund following a new forensic audit, as fresh efforts to ‘clear all the mess’ were recognised at continental level.
In an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent, Nssa board chairman Emmanuel Fundira said the authority was working through the audit before acting.
“We want to clear all the mess which has been existing in Nssa,” said Fundira, who was appointed chairman in May.
He spoke after a ceremony to honour outstanding insurers at the Independent Insurance Survey Awards 2023 on Wednesday this week.
“There have been correct and serious observations made in the audit and we are going to follow that as a bible and make sure that people are accountable for their transgressions,” he said.
The prestigious event is a collaboration between Nssa and the Independent.
Nssa also won three awards at the 2023 Good Practice Awards organised by the International Social Security Association in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire in May, according to a statement released yesterday, confirming that the authority was now taking a fresh trajectory.
NSSA won three certificates of merit in recognition of various initiatives it has taken to enhance service delivery.
Nssa won a certificate of merit, with special mention for Enhanced Compliance Enforcement through embracing information and communication technology and collaboration with other statutory bodies/agencies.
It also won a certificate of merit for the Establishment of Internet Kiosks: Ease of Access to National Social Security Authority.
The third award was a certificate of merit in recognition of the implementation of the self-adjusting framework that is reviewed quarterly, indexed against the cost of living.
The awards attracted 138 entries from 48-member organisations in 30 African countries.
Commenting on the awards, NSSA’s acting general manager, Charles Shava, said the accolades demonstrated the authority’s journey towards service delivery excellence.
“Our vision is to become a world class provider of social security by 2030, in line with the national vision of becoming an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income economy by 2030,” Shava said.
NSSA’s acting general manager, Charles Shava
“As a major player both on the financial and social security sphere, NSSA has a special role to play towards fulfilling Zimbabwe’s socio-economic ambitions.
“For us to move forward at an accelerated pace, we need to invest in and embrace technology and utilise it for the benefit of our clients and stakeholders, and I’m glad that the recognitions we received confirm to us that we are on the right track.”
“Manual systems the world-over are notorious for backlogs and inefficiency. This led to an accumulation of backlogs in terms of capturing employer and employee data thus negatively impacting data cleanliness levels and customer experience. The introduction of the Self-Service Portal has also allowed NSSA to leverage partnerships with other organisations in administering its schemes as recommended by Guideline 4 of the ISSA Guidelines on Administrative Solutions for Coverage Extension,” he added.
Building on the digital journey, the NSSA self-service portal is being integrated into a one-stop-virtual-shop, the NSSA Contact Centre, which is currently undergoing pilot testing before being rolled out to the market.
The contact centre is expected to further improve service delivery as customers will have diverse options of dealing with NSSA from wherever they are. It is an integrated platform that brings together voice and digital channels.
Source Zimbabwe Situation
