TIRI MASAWI
The Social Security Commission (SSC) is considering lowering the age at which members can claim their retirement benefit from 60 to 55 years.
Information seen by The Namibia Business Review shows that the proposal would allow members aged 55 and above to access the retirement benefit, which has now increased to N$15 000.
The once-off retirement benefit was previously N$12 000.
The disability benefit has also increased to N$15 000. In the event of a member’s death, the member’s family will now be eligible for a N$15 000 benefit.
SSC acting executive officer Ben Nangombe said in a press release that “these enhancements reaffirm the Commission’s commitments to improving benefit adequacy and ensuring that members continue to receive meaningful financial support during important life events.”
Minister of Justice and Labour Relations Fillemon Wise Immanuel last month said the SSC was responding to a call from the president.
“Every registered member who goes on retirement can now get N$15 000. These are the improvements that the SSC board has introduced. This is in response to the call by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah,” he said.
He added “I want to express my profound gratitude to the President for her commitment and stewardship towards the citizens of this country.”
The proposed change to the retirement age follows a number of appeals from members aged between 55 and 59 whose early retirement claims were rejected because they had not reached the age of 60.
The SSC has also been challenged by the Office of the Ombudsman over the rejected claims.
Two legal opinions were obtained on the issue. One was from Kalundu Kamwi Law Chambers Incorporated in 2022 and the other from the Office of the Attorney General in 2024.
“The Attorney General and the Ombudsman have both expressed a consistent view that the Social Security Commission (SSC) should reconsider its position on early retirement claims from the age of 55 years,” the SSC’s submission states.
The issue was further discussed during a stakeholder engagement workshop held in July 2025 with the Office of the Prime Minister and various offices, ministries and agencies.
The SSC’s actuaries, Strategic Actuarial Partners Namibia (Pty) Ltd, assessed the financial impact of allowing members to claim the retirement benefit from age 55.
The actuaries cautioned that the financial impact would be highly sensitive to retirement rates among members aged 55 to 59, for which the SSC does not have specific Namibian experience data.
The commission has consequently been advised to improve its collection of members’ dates of birth and actual retirement dates.
There has also been a suggestion that retirement ages should be considered according to different industries rather than applying one blanket retirement age.
Such an approach could take into account the nature of occupations such as professional football and piloting, where the demands of the work may differ from those in other sectors.
The proposed retirement age of 55 is not yet in effect.
The SSC’s preferred option combines the age-55 retirement provision with the recently increased MSD benefits. The proposal requires approval by the Minister of Justice and Labour Relations and subsequent gazetting before the early retirement provision can take effect.
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