Our August trip has come to a successful end with the team arriving back in Malelane last week Thursday. The drivers are currently busy with their trip reports and I will be sharing them shortly as well.
We are currently in the process of starting to prep for our last 2 trips for 2026, our October one and our “Magic” Christmas trip. I am currently finalising the name lists to start our adopt a Golden oldie for Christmas 2026. Lots of planning once again going into this.
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!!
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.
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 “.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
We welcome anyone who wishes to come and see our warehouse in Malelane and what we do.
Please if anyone has contacts that can help us get into one of the magazines or newspapers it would be greatly appreciated. Just so we can get news out there a bit again and remind people that we are still running after all this time.
Also don’t forget if you would like to join us on a trip or be a driver on one of the vehicles to let Johan know johan@zpsf.co.za or call 0824979328.
These food hampers serve 2 purposes.
1 They supply much needed food to the pensioner.
2 The pensioner then knows that someone cares about them
We are an officially registered Non-Profit Organization and Section 21A in South Africa and are registered with SARS as a Public Benefit Organization in terms of section 18A the Income Tax Act (Which means all South African donations are issued with a Tax Certificate and can be claimed back). PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE A TAX CERTIFICATE STATING ALL YOU DONATIONS. They will be issued once our Financial Year End has been processed, so from about mid-April 2026. The following branches are registered subbranches of the ZPSF-SA, ZPSF-UK supporters can be issued with a Gift Aid Certificate via Anne Tourle and the USA account is a Registered 501(c)3 organization and as such Tax-deductible receipts available for USA-ZPSF donors via Angelique Hamilton.
Our Banking Details or please see the attachment for full details including worldwide WISE and PayPal:
SA Account
ZIMBABWE PENSIONER SUPPORTER FUND
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
MALELANE BRANCH
BRANCH CODE 270952
ACCOUNT NUMBER 62239042906
SWIFT CODE FIRNZAJJ
Please if you make a Donation to this account is you can send a mail to myself linda@zpsf.co.za so that I can send you an acknowledgement of Donation.
UK Account
ZIMBABWE PENSIONER SUPPORT FUND – UK BRANCH
Barclays Bank, West Swindon
Sort code:20-68-15
Account No: 23398579
Swift Code is:BUKGB22
IBAN is: GB49 BUKB 20681523398579
Please if you make a Donation to this account is you can send a mail to Anne Tourle zpsfuk@gmail.com so that she may send you an acknowledgement of Donation
USA ACCOUNT – New Postal address
ZIMBABWE PENSIONERS SUPPORT FUND – USA
A Registered 501(c)3 organization. Tax-deductible receipts available for USA donors.
Donations via PayPal, use the following link: www.zpsf.co.za and go to the USA donation link
USA address to post cheques – PO Box 55261, St. Petersburg, FL 33732
The USA now has Venmo for easier payments – @ZimPensionersSupportFund
To request additional information, or receipts, please email Angelique Hamilton atzpsf.america@gmail.com
Australia Account via RSA of WA
Account Name : Rhodesian Services Association of WA Inc ” ZPSF Fund”
Westpac
BSB 036080
Account No. 773736
Please include name and ZPSF in the reference. Acknowledgement will be given in our quarterly newsletter.
If any queries or receipts are required Neville Abrams is the new contact nevandstell@gmail.com
Thank you so much for helping us support our “Golden Oldies” during these crazy times. Your support is invaluable and we at the ZPSF would never be able to sustain our regular supply of relief parcels if it were not for donations and support such as yours. All of this happens because of people like you, you are all truly amazing. THANK YOU and God Bless.
We hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us, ask your questions, check the references that we give you and then PLEASE support our old Rhodesian pensioners who have nowhere to go.
Thank you for your support towards our Golden Oldies, you make the Magic and we deliver it.
Doing what we say we do, real people helping real people.
| Kind Regards Linda Schultz Director – Fund Raising & Awareness for the Zimbabwe Pensioner Support Fund Phone 013 7900934Cell 079 608 2676 Email linda@zpsf.co.za / zpsf@zpsf.onmicrosoft.com Web www.zpsf.co.za Section 21 Co Reg. 2007/034036/08; NPO Number 096733; Section 18A PBO No 930031642 The 3 most important pillars of our cause: UNIQUENESS – being one of a kind and knowing that the ZPSF is driven by good will and very passionate members. TRANSPARENCY – enforcing the rule that all members must be fully informed before taking part in this noble venture. ACCOUNTABILITY – Having a traceable paper trail for every cent handled, and regular revues conducted. |
