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Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has appointed Mr Arthur Manase as substantive general manager with effect from January 1, 2021.

An experienced legal practitioner, Mr Manase has been acting general manager at the State-controlled pension fund since December 2019.

NSSA has not had a substantive general manager since April 2018 when Mrs Elizabeth Chitiga was dismissed on allegations of maladminstration and abuse of public funds.

In a statement, NSSA said Mr Manase’s appointment was done in terms of Section 25 of the NSSA Act (Chapter 17:04) and Section 17 (2) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act (Chapter 10:31).

The authority said Mr Manase’s appointment to lead NSSA has been approved by Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima with the concurrence of President Mnangagwa.

“The appointment of a substantive general manager was one of the main tasks that the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare had mandated the interim board to finalise during his tenure,” said NSSA.

Mr Manase who is presently enrolled for PhD studies with the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), holds a Master of Laws from Cambridge University, Bachelor of Laws and a First Class Bachelor of Law (Honours) all from UZ.

NSSA said Mr Manase is a renowned professional who has served various organisations at senior leadership level.

Prior to his secondment to NSSA in an acting capacity, he was employed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) as executive director.

“He is also an astute academic who served as executive dean at the UZ from January 2001 to November 2003, before moving to Air Zimbabwe where he served as legal counsel/head:secretarial and corporate affairs,” said the authority.

In October 2004, he was recruited by the RBZ as the deputy division chief financial intelligence unit and principal legal advisor before being promoted to executive director in charge of legal services and corporate affairs in February 2011.

In 2019, he was then seconded to NSSA in an acting capacity as general manager.

“At NSSA, Mr Manase demonstrated his astute leadership prowess as he within 12 months, successfully turned around the fortunes of the authority by ushering in a new culture founded on transparency, honesty and accountability,” it said.

To testify the effectiveness of his leadership and the transformation brought about by it, the authority said it received more than 10 prestigious local and international and international awards and certification from various organisations, spanning across service delivery, corporate social responsibility and business leadership among others. — @okazunga