GUSET ARTICLE: THE SILENT CRISIS FACING ZAMBIAN MEN
By Dr. Aaron Mujajati
In homes across Zambia, a quiet tragedy unfolds. Men who once stood tall as providers, builders of families and communities find themselves sidelined in old age. Their strength fades, their income dries up, and the very people they sacrificed for begin to drift away. Not out of cruelty or betrayal, but often out of economic necessity. Children grow, start their own families, and face their own battles. Friends get caught up in their own survival. The world moves forward without you, whether we are ready or not. This is a growing national blind spot.
To be brutally honest, too many Zambian men are growing old without a safety net. No pension. No savings. No fallback plan.
Retirement isn’t something that happens to “other people”. It is a certainty for every man reading this. Whether you are a bus driver in Kanyama, a teacher in Chipata, or a businessman in Lusaka, the clock is ticking. Here is the truth: you are never too young to prepare for retirement, and it is never too late to start.
Therefore, a retirement plan is not a luxury, it is a shield. It is the difference between living your later years with peace or with regret. It is the quiet assurance that you will not have to beg, that you will eat from your own harvest, and that your voice will still carry weight because you stand on your own feet. This is why every man must think ahead. Not for pride. Not for show. But for dignity.
Water tribe, Start where you are. Here is what every man in the Water Tribe should do. This is your chief speaking:
1. Put something aside every month, no matter how small. Savings are the first and most important step to financial security. Even a K50 a week adds up over time. Think long term.
2. Invest in what will grow: buy land, livestock, a small business, skills that can still earn even in old age.
3. Join a Pension Scheme whether through NAPSA or private options. Make consistent contributions and your future self will thank you.
3. Avoid debts that will follow you into your final years.
One day, you will sit under the shade of a tree. The question is, will it be a tree you planted yourself, or one you must ask permission to rest under?
The choice is yours, and the time is now. You have heard.
Very educative, this has made my favorite alcohol test sour.Very powerful words,may the Almighty GOD open our minds.
Wise words.
Very true, it’s actually happening to me.
Thank you Dr. Mujajati. Good advice I can identify with. However, the most important thing is be there for your children when they are youngp. By this I don’t mean buying them expensive toys or throwing money at them. Rather, be their friend and they will be loyal friends in your old age. Yes, sometimes as men, we are too busy “providing” for the family to emotionally connect with them.
Iam a retiree with no pension whatsoever. But both my wife and I were running small businesses even when we were in formal employment. These businesses keep us socially engaged and financially independent. Our children support us regularly but it won’t be a crisis if in one month they are unable to render the usual support. I thoroughly enjoy the company of my grown children and my grandchildren even with zero pension. In addition, we love what we do to support ourselves financially.
Actually, normal daily expenses of routine nature, are not so much of a problem, but what knocks down and buries Retirees are unexpected events like hospitalization or death of a loved one, like a Spouse, in a family, and funnily enough, these are always stalking Retirees like a Shadow because of their age!
It’s a general phenomenon over many countries