Defence (Regular Force) (Non-Commissioned Members) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 8)
From 1 January 2025, non-commissioned members of Zimbabwe's Regular Force retire at 55, may be kept on to 60 with the Minister's approval, and war veterans can serve to 65.
The Minister of Defence has rewritten the retirement rule for non-commissioned members of the Regular Force. The change replaces subsections (4), (5) and (6) of section 18 of the Defence (Regular Force) (Non-Commissioned Members) Regulations, 1989 (S.I. 172 of 1989).
The basic retirement age is fifty-five, regardless of how long the member has served. The Minister may, on the Commander's recommendation and if it is in the public interest, allow a member to serve a further five years to age sixty. That extension is not a guarantee: the Commander can cut it short by giving the member twelve months' written notice.
A member who takes the extension retires at sixty — except a war veteran, who may keep serving in further periods of not more than twelve months at a time, up to a hard ceiling of sixty-five.
The regulations came into effect on 1 January 2025. They were published in a Government Gazette Extraordinary dated 30 December 2024.
What changed
- Compulsory retirement age for non-commissioned members set at 55
- Minister may, on the Commander's recommendation, extend service by five years to age 60
- The Commander can end an extension early on twelve months' written notice
- War veterans may serve beyond 60 in periods of up to twelve months at a time, to a maximum of 65
- Replaces subsections (4), (5) and (6) of section 18 of S.I. 172 of 1989
Who this affects
- Non-commissioned members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Regular Force
- Serving members approaching age 55
- War veterans still in uniform
- Defence Forces Service Commission and unit commanders
- Defence pensions and payroll administrators
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.