Professor Paul Mavima, the Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, has announced the appointment of Dr Emmanuel Anesu Fundira as the new chairperson of the board of directors of the National Social Security Authority (NSSA).
The appointment is effective immediately.
Dr Fundira’s appointment follows the resignation of Percy Toriro. Toriro, who is a renowned urban planning expert, offered to step down before the expiry of his term, as he has been out of the country for almost six months, doing urban planning consultancy in West Africa. Toriro was appointed to the NSSA board in May 2021, and his first five-year term was due to expire in 2026. He becomes the fifth person to leave the NSSA board in seven years, with board chairpersons and general managers typically lasting no more than two years on average. A recent report from Business Weekly suggested that NSSA was planning to remove Toriro at any time.
During a press conference held in Harare, the Minister stated that Dr Fundira’s appointment was made after several consultative processes and good recommendations based on his qualifications and experience related to NSSA’s work.
The Minister believes that Dr Fundira’s leadership credentials and experience in leading both private and public sector institutions at executive and board levels make him a good fit for NSSA. Mavima said:
It is my hope and expectation that through the leadership of Dr Fundira, the NSSA board will make sound decisions to ensure the well-being of NSSA beneficiaries and contribute to the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe through good investment decisions.
Our aspiration as a nation is that we leave no one and no place behind. As such the appointment of Dr Fundira as board chairperson comes at a time where it is imperative that NSSA continue to develop and implement an all-encompassing informal sector scheme framework.
According to Professor Mavima, it is important that NSSA increases funding and resources for the development of an informal sector scheme, which should be informed by a needs assessment survey. The scheme’s design and cost should be based on studies of other informal sector schemes in the region and globally.
He said there is also an urgent need to review and update all NSSA governance policies and procedures to ensure they are suitable for the changing environment. The statutes governing the authority should also be reviewed to ensure they meet the needs of the people NSSA serves.