Return of offshore pension billions draws closer
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 810 Views |
Sunset years: Pensioners want returns that can support them into their final years PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Director of Insurance and Pensions at the Ministry of Finance, Patrinah Masalela told BusinessWeek that while finalisation of the new rules was at an advanced stage, a phased approach would be used in which the minimum percentages to be invested locally would gradually increase towards the 50% threshold.
“We are not going to say right away all the pension funds must have brought that 50%,” she said on the sidelines of a recent briefing. “All those movements in percentages, have been determined looking at what the monthly contributions are, the money out there already in the market and also looking at the avenues we can come up with to absorb the money.”
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...