Article provided by: Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund
It’s been almost 25 years since Hannes Botha received that first appeal for assistance from an elderly relative in his home town of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The pensioner was in dire financial straits which left him unable to afford the most basic necessities, including food.
Hannes leapt into action. He bought enough food to fill his little Ford Meteor car, took a week’s leave from his employer and drove the 1000 kilometres from Mpumalanga to Bulawayo to deliver a food parcel to the pensioner. Of course, this could only provide temporary relief. A few months later he made a second delivery, and on this trip, he was asked to supply a pensioner with food at the Huisvergesig Old Age home in Gweru. This he did and at Huisvergesig he became acutely aware of how the other residents were staring at him as he handed the box of food over to the recipient. He realised at that moment how great was the need.
It took Hannes another 8 months to buy enough food to supply 36 pensioners with a food hamper at Huisvergesig. The gift came as a surprise to the residents, and some of them were so overwhelmed that they cried.
It was clear that there was a crisis facing the pensioners in Zimbabwe. Pensions were rendered worthless by the ravages of rampant inflation.
Hannes had reached the limit of his own resources, but was determined that the pensioners should not be abandoned to their fate. That’s when he founded the Zimbabwe Pensioner Supporter Fund, a charity dedicated to delivering food, basic medical supplies and other essentials to destitute elderly folk in Zimbabwe.
By December 2003, Hannes was supplying more than 100 pensioners with food, and he bought a 4-ton Toyota Dyna truck to cope with the demand. As donations came in, the family-run charity was able to expand its relief efforts until it was supplying more than 400 pensioners with food, clothing and basic medicine. Deliveries were made every 3 months. Talk about an adventure and we are still going.
From its humble beginnings, the Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund has grown to currently supporting just over 1050 pensioners with an apple box filled with non-perishable food in 24 old age homes / organizations throughout Zimbabwe. This is only about 40% or so of the pensioners that need help. We also assist similar organizations such as “S.O.A.P” (Support Old Age Pensioners) as well as various kitchens. As far as we are aware we are the largest non-government organization supporting pensioners still in Zimbabwe who lost everything when the Zimbabwe dollar ceased to exist.
We now shift around 15 tons of non-perishable food, and medical aids such as wheelchairs, crutches, walking aids and non-scheduled medicines every 8 weeks to our Golden Oldies using a Nissan Croner 16 ton truck and bakkie. The supplies are distributed to the 24 homes / organizations. Each trip lasts 8 – 10 days, the two vehicles covering more than 6000 kilometres, using more than 1200 litres of fuel. The value of the food and the cost of delivering it to the pensioners in Zimbabwe exceeds R700,000 per trip. The six trips each year culminate in the “Magic” Christmas trip which delivers a special festive parcel to each client, and additional parcels for the dedicated staff of the various homes.
Since its inception, the Zimbabwe Pension Support Fund has relied entirely on donations to carry out its mission. With the help of a network of in-country volunteers and fuel donors, we have been able to minimize our operational overheads. ZPSF has always been unique as the only family-run charity supporting Zimbabwean pensioners, and after the passing of our founder Hannes Botha in 2022, operations continued uninterrupted, under the leadership of Hannes’ daughter Linda Schultz.
In addition to the sustenance provided by the food hampers, and no less important to the wellbeing of our elderly clients, the regular arrivals of our teams from South Africa, supported by local volunteers, provide morale-boosting pastoral care to our clients, and the assurance that they are not forgotten.
Over the past year donations have receded, and we are struggling to maintain the level of support needed by our pensioners. We firmly believe that had it not been for the team’s tenacious “can-do” spirit, we would have been defeated by the financial headwinds, not to mention the ongoing twin roadblocks of bureaucracy and deteriorating infrastructure. The shocking state of the roads in Zimbabwe are exacting a heavy toll on our vehicles!
However, this is not a job, it is a passion!!
The ZPSF is registered as a Non-Profit Organization Section 21A and as a Public Benefit Organization in terms of section 18A of the Income Tax Act in South Africa. We are represented overseas by ZPSF-UK and ZPSF-USA. UK supporters can be issued with a Gift Aid Certificate, and the USA account is a Registered 501(c)3 organization and as such Tax-deductible receipts are available for USA-ZPSF donors.
How do donations reach recipients?
Donations to the Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund (ZPSF) reach recipients through a well-organized logistics and distribution network. Here’s an overview of the process:
1. Donation Collection: Donations of food and other supplies are collected from various sources, including individuals, organizations, and businesses.
2. Transportation: The donated goods are transported to a warehouse in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
3. Sorting and Packing: The goods are sorted and packed into boxes at the warehouse under the supervision of ZPSF team members.
4. Delivery: Distribution teams, comprising ZPSF drivers and local volunteers, embark on road trips to deliver the boxes to various locations across Zimbabwe.
5. Local Distribution: At each destination, local teams or individuals help with offloading and distributing the boxes to the intended recipients, including old people’s homes and individuals in need.
The ZPSF team works tirelessly to ensure that donations reach those who need them most, often in remote or challenging-to-reach areas. Their efforts involve long road trips, navigating border crossings, and collaborating with local volunteers and organizations.
Volunteer driver Chris Whitehead – April 15, 2026: It was not such an early start for us as our first stop, Greenways Trust in Chegutu, is only thirty minutes away and we didn’t want to arrive too early. As we are getting ready to leave Agnes KAYE and Del PARKIN came out to give us hugs and to again say thank you. The gratitude is almost overwhelming, but our elderly pensioners live in tough conditions that most of us cannot fathom being in. ZPSF fills not only a need for food, but a need for human contact and the knowledge that there are people who care. Off the main road and on the way to Greenways Trust the tarred roads were all dirt and we passed the still named Hartley Junior School with its standard boarding hostel blocks. At Greenways Cheryl ALBISINI, the administrator, met us with Rory STEWART. Rory was very quiet to begin with but eventually had a good chat with Annette. As we bounce through the dusty streets of Chegutu my thoughts are with these pensioners whose world has shrunk to within the high walls of the old age homes and what they must think of what is going on around them.
Caroline Nel, Bulawayo warehouse -Once the last boxes are packed our team checks them against the name lists again and the boxes are sealed and stacked in their homes, however on this trip with our stock being delayed we have had to keep the boxes open so that we can pack in the last few goodies as they arrive with the cross-border transporter on Monday. Then we move onto the frail care packages for each of our pensioners that don’t receive a box of goods and then onto the kitchens which is for those homes were all meals are cooked and served in a dining hall or directly to those in frail care. Once we are packed all packages are checked again against our lists, the reason for this is can you imagine being the one person in a home that doesn’t receive a package. I would be absolutely heartbroken if it were me. It is now Saturday and we have some very well-deserved down time before the truck arrives. It is our opportunity to recharge our batteries a little and to get ready for the big week ahead.
One pensioner at Boggies Trust in Gweru described what we are doing as “CHRISTANITY IN ACTION”. On the Christmas Trip “when we also hand out a small present to each of our pensioners, one pensioner had this to say. “I have family all over the world, but the only Christmas present I had to open on Christmas day was the one from the ZPSF “.
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Date published: 07/09/2026
Feature image and content: Sourced from official website of Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund
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