Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
CONFUSION surrounds the identity of the person who encashed a pension cheque belonging to the late liberation war hero and former Bulawayo City Council employee Mr Elliot Maphenduka Moyo in 2005, after his family made sensational claims that he never received the money.
The late Mr Moyo, who worked as a senior bar overseer for Bulawayo City Council, retired from the local authority on May 31, 1995 after 35 years of service. He died on June 3, 2020 at the age of 83.
His daughter, Dr Masithokoze Moyo, said despite communication from the Local Authorities Pension Fund (LAPF) confirming that a cheque amounting to ZWD$1 559 495.46 was processed on May 19, 2005, her father never cashed it.
“Someone may have forged my father’s signature. For years, our family has sought clarity, accountability, and the truth about what happened to Mr Moyo’s pension benefits. We are simply asking for the full records to be released and for the responsible authorities to act with transparency, urgency, and fairness,” said Dr Moyo.
Dr Moyo said a lump-sum pension payment was allegedly processed, yet her father did not lawfully receive the funds and may have been the victim of forged documentation.
She said her father spent years seeking answers and died before the matter was resolved.
Bulawayo City Council spokesperson Mrs Nesisa Mpofu confirmed that Mr Moyo was employed by the City of Bulawayo and that, according to council records, pension benefits were paid in May 2005.
“The City of Bulawayo further advises that the details of the pension as outlined in your enquiry can be addressed by the Pension Administrator – Local Authorities Pension Fund (LAPF),” said Mrs Mpofu.
Contacted for comment, LAPF pension administrator Mr Ostern Pazvakavambwa said the Fund’s records show that Mr Moyo was issued with a cheque in 2005 and that the cheque was subsequently encashed.
According to Mr Pazvakavambwa, Mr Moyo retired from Bulawayo City Council on May 31, 1995, after which his retirement benefits were calculated in line with the Fund’s rules.
The Fund said his monthly pension commenced on June 1, 1995, while his one-third commutation was processed through arrangements that existed with the local authority at the time.
LAPF said that in 2004 it offered Mr Moyo the option of fully commuting his pension in line with prevailing pension legislation, which the pensioner accepted in writing on October 28, 2004.
The Fund said that after obtaining the necessary tax clearance, it issued a crossed cheque marked “Not Negotiable” for ZWD$1 559 495.46 on May 19, 2005. The cheque, it said, was posted to Mr Moyo’s home address in Nkulumane.
“LAPF’s records show that the cheque was subsequently presented for payment and the amount was withdrawn from the Fund’s bank account on June 17, 2005. Following the processing of the one third commutation, Mr Moyo started receiving his monthly pensions effective 1 June 1995. Based on the preceding events, the Fund was made to conclude that Mr Moyo had been paid his one third lump sum by Bulawayo City Council as he continued submitting the required documentations to enable payment of his monthly pensions e.g. completion and submission of Annual Life Certificate Forms,” said Mr Pazvakavambwa.
He added that the debit reflected on the Fund’s Standard Chartered Bank statement constituted confirmation that the payment had been completed.
The Fund said it only became aware of the dispute in 2017, about 12 years after the cheque had been issued, when it received letters from Mr Moyo and the then Ministry responsible for War Veterans alleging that the pensioner had not received the payment.
Mr Pazvakavambwa said LAPF approached its bankers to establish who had encashed the cheque but was advised that the bank could no longer provide those details because its 10-year records retention period had expired.
He said Mr Moyo was informed during a telephone conversation in July 2017 that the cheque had been encashed, while the ministry was also advised of the position in September that year.
