I want to buy a leg, but ZSIC Is holding my K325,000
AFTER dedicating 36 years of his life to Zambia Postal Services, 66-year-old John Kongwa believed retirement would bring him peace and security.
Instead, he finds himself trapped in a painful struggle to reclaim the benefits he says he earned through decades of hard work
“I just want to stand for my family again,” says Kongwa, his voice heavy with emotion
Kongwa joined Zambia Postal Services in 1979 as a young man full of dreams and determination.
For 36 years, he faithfully served the institution, contributing to the Zambia State Insurance Corporation —ZSIC Pension Scheme with the expectation that, upon retirement, the benefits he had worked for would be there when he needed them most.
Kongwa retired in 2015 believing the promise made to countless workers — that their pension would provide comfort and dignity in old age.
But today, that promise feels painfully out of reach.
In 2024, Kongwa’s life took a devastating turn. While repairing the roof of his home, he accidentally stepped on a nail. And what seemed like a minor injury soon became a nightmare.
The wound refused to heal. Day after day, the pain worsened. Doctors tried to save his leg, but by 2025 they delivered heartbreaking news: amputation was the only option left if his life was to be saved.
The surgery saved him, but it also took away his independence.
Now, Kongwa navigates life on one leg, unable to afford the prosthetic limb that could help him walk again.
The retired postal worker says ZSIC owes him approximately K325,000 in pension benefits — money he believes could completely transform his circumstances.
“That money is supposed to be my benefit,” Kongwa tells TV Yatu. “With it, I can buy an artificial leg. I can work again. I can help provide for my family. Right now, I feel helpless.”
To Kongwa, every day is a reminder of what he has lost.
Simple tasks that many take for granted have become impossible challenges. He cannot walk his children to school.
He cannot move around freely. He cannot take on the small jobs that once helped support his household.
Instead, he spends his days watching his family struggle while he waits for the money he says is rightfully his.
For a man who spent most of his life working to provide for others, the inability to provide for his own family is perhaps the deepest wound of all.
His appeal is simple. He is pleading with ZSIC to release the K325,000 he says is owed to him so that he can purchase a prosthetic leg, regain his mobility and once again stand on his own feet.
“I don’t want charity,” Kongwa says. “I only want what I worked for, so I can stand again and take care of my family.”
© TV Yatu | Noel Iyombwa | June 27, 2026.