The Sunday News
Shepias Dube Business Reporter
AN insurance company, Progressive Insurance Brokers, has set aside more than $100 000 for war veterans as part of support and thanking the liberation fighters for their contribution to the independence of Zimbabwe. In an interview on Wednesday, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association national vice-chairperson Cde Headman Moyo said the money would benefit all war veterans who had joined the Progressive funeral policy.
“The new war veterans executive led by Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa has resolved that the $104 000 which Progressive Insurance Brokers ploughed back to the association should benefit all war vets who joined the progressive funeral policy. It is their money and they should use it,” he said.
The war veterans leader said all former freedom fighters who were entitled to the fund had been advised to submit individual accounts to the nearest Progressive Insurance Brokers offices and would receive their share as soon as the administrative process is done.
He said the money would be shared among the members according to their contributions and recipients are to use it anyway they want.
Most war veterans were paying $20 per month for 12 beneficiaries as subscriptions but those with additional beneficiaries pay more.
War vets who spoke to Sunday Business welcomed this development and commended the new war veterans executive for being transparent.
“This is a welcome development which shows how transparent the new executive is with people’s money. During the tenure of the previous war vets executive we did not know what was happening with the money from Progressive,” said a Bulawayo based war vet who preferred to remain anonymous.
Progressive Insurance Brokers general manager for the Southern Region Mr Jack Kasiya said his company had been ploughing back to war vets since 2010 when the latter entered into a group funeral scheme with Progressive Insurance.
“On the discretion of the underwriter First Funeral Assurance, Progressive Insurance Brokers have been ploughing back to the former freedom fighters since 2010 and we never interfered with what the recipients did with the money.
“This time the new leadership have said the money should go straight to individual accounts and we have complied with their wish,” he said.
Mr Kasiya could not reveal when the money would be deposited but said the company’s accounts department was working flat out to ensure that the beneficiaries get their money as soon as possible.
He said Progressive Insurance Brokers ploughs back 50 percent of the total contributions made by members, less expenses, at the end of every financial year.
New members are entitled to benefits after a year.
“Our main focus is to ensure that our living heroes are socially and economically empowered. It’s a way of thanking them for the sacrifice they made for the independence of this country.
“The business opportunities we enjoy today are as a result of that sacrifice,” he said.
This is not the first time the company has come to the assistance of the former freedom fighters.
In 2010, when the company’s relationship with war vets started, Progressive insurance buried war vets and their immediate family members in ex-gratia.
“For six months we provided funeral assistance to our former freedom fighters, their children and parents whether they had joined our policy or not. As long as there was confirmation that the deceased or bereaved person was a war veteran, Progressive Insurance Brokers would chip in with funeral assistance,” the Progressive Insurance general manager said.
He said his company would continue working to improve the welfare of the war veterans and their families.
