Dura Micro Pension

Prepare for your
retirement with a secure
micro-pension investment

Dura/Isiphala Micro-Pension Plan is a retirement scheme that
allows you to securely invest your money into your future.

This is available to all individuals and entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 70 years.

Pension contributions are made in USD and they cost a minimum of USD$10 payable monthly or any other frequency as may be agreed by the member. These are split into two accounts as follows:

Long-term savings account

  1. A 50% portion of the member's accumulation will be regarded as a long-term savings account.

  2. Funds under the long-term savings account will be accessible at the age of 70.

  3. The member has an option to defer access to the funds until the late retirement age of 70.

Short-term savings account

  1. A 50% portion of the member's accumulation will be regarded as a short-term savings account

  2. Funds under the short-term savings account will be accessible at any time from 12 months after joining the scheme.


 

Registration

To register and make payments, you must fill in an onboarding form and hand over your cash payments at an Econet shop or select agents respectively or send an email to claimsfb@econetlife.co.zw or message/WhatsApp to 0771222165.

Benefits

Retirement

A lump sum benefit will be payable upon:

  1. Reaching Normal Retirement Age of 65.

  2. Reaching Early Retirement: A member who has reached 65 years may retire any day prior to the first day of the month prior to the Normal Retirement Date. A member may retire prior to the Normal Retirement Date if medical evidence is submitted confirming a member's inability to perform his normal gainful employment.

  3. Reaching Late Retirement: If a member so wishes, may retire any day of the month after the Normal Retirement Date, but not later than the age of 70.

Withdrawal

In the event of a Member leaving the scheme, he shall be entitled to receive all accrued savings (contributions plus interest) from both the long-term and short-term savings accounts. A member can participate for a minimum period of 12 months before they qualify for the withdrawal benefit, with withdrawal prior to the aforesaid period requiring the accumulation to be preserved. The withdrawal benefits shall, however, be subject to minimum preservation amounts or conditions as may be prescribed by the commissioner from time to time.

Transferability

Whenever a Member becomes entitled to benefits under the Fund, he shall have the right to arrange for the purchase of the pension from the Insurer, or to transfer his accumulated benefits within the prescribed period to another pension, provident, or preservation fund registered by the Commissioner.

Commutation of pension

  1. When a member is entitled to a pension in terms of these Rules, he may elect to commute up to one-third of his accumulated credit for a lump sum payment and the monthly pension payable to such member shall be proportionately reduced.

  2. It is specifically provided that in calculating the lump sum commutation amount, the value of the residual pension after the commutation must not be less than the minimum pension amount set by the Commissioner from time to time.

  3. Where any pension payable in terms of these Rules is less than the minimum pension set by the Commissioner from time to time, a member may be permitted to commute the whole pension for a lump sum.

Death benefit before the normal retirement date

On the death of a Member before the Normal Retirement Date, the Accumulated Credit will be paid to the person(s) entitled to those benefits.

Death benefit after normal retirement date but before the late retirement date

On the death of a Member while in service where retirement has been deferred, the Accumulated Credit shall be paid to the person(s) entitled to those benefits.

Credit Facility Add-on

The member will be able to use micro-provident fund savings as security or collateral for a loan with any financial institution in the country after the period of three months from the date of joining the scheme. The full portion of the short-term savings account and 25% from the long-term savings account may be used as collateral. The credit facility shall be issued through Steward Bank or any other bank that may be assigned from time to time. To manage credit risk, the member will be compelled to take a Credit Life Policy from an insurer of choice or as may be determined by the credit-issuing bank.

How to claim your benefit

Complete a claim form to be submitted at any Econet Shop or via email & WhatsApp with the following documents:

  1. Ill-health retirement: ID, confirmation from a medical doctor recommending ill-health retirement

  2. Death: IDs, proof of age for all beneficiaries.

    1. Marriage confirmation for a spouse.
    2. This can be a marriage certificate or confirmation of customary marriage from the courts or at least 3 affidavits, one by the spouse and two supporting affidavits by close relatives; one from each side of the family. For marriage in terms of Chapter 5.11, only one spouse is accepted
    3. Original death certificate with certified copies to remain on file, where the fund has insured death benefits.