WAR VETERANS PRESSURE GROUP & ORS v MINISTER OF DEFENCE & ORS 2020 (1) ZLR 625 (H)

2020 (1) ZLR p625

Flynote

Administrative law – administrative acts and decisions – decision potentially adverse to persons affected by it – duty on administrative authority to hear such person – war veterans' pension awards in 1997 – change in monetary policies – demonetisation of currency in use in 1997 – authorities substituting new pension amount in new currency – affected persons not consulted about value of new pension – right to be consulted

In 1997, a statutory instrument was enacted that prescribed a life pension for war veterans of $2000 (in the then currency) a month. During the years that followed, the economy saw the transition from the Zimbabwe dollar of 1997 right through to the bearer cheque, the multiple currency, the Real Time Gross Settlement (commonly referred to as the RTGS), the bond note and/or the Zimbabwe dollar of 2019. In 2015 the previous Zimbabwe currency was demonetised. In 2020, the board administering pensions for war veterans calculated a figure for pensions, using a sum expressed in the 2020 currency. At no time throughout the various economic changes were the applicants consulted about what the pension should be. The applicants sought a declaratur that they were, as war veterans, entitled to a life pension of $2000 a month.