Defence (Regular Force) (Officers) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 5)
From 1 January 2025, regular force army officers retire at 55 but can be kept on to 60, then 65, with war veterans extendable to 70 — and officers appointed before the effective date have a pensionable age of 65 or an elected 70.
The Minister of Defence has rewritten the retirement rules for regular force officers, replacing subsections (4) to (7) of section 15 of the Defence (Regular Force) (Officers) Regulations. The new rules take effect on 1 January 2025.
The structure is a ladder of extensions. A permanent service officer retires at 55 whatever the length of pensionable service. The Minister, on the Commander's recommendation and if it is in the public interest, may allow a further five years to age 60. The President, on the Minister's recommendation, may then allow a further five years to 65. At 65, an officer who is a war veteran may be allowed a final five years to 70, and at 70 retirement is compulsory with no further extension.
Each extension is revocable. Where an officer has been allowed to continue, the Commander may require early retirement on twelve months' written notice.
A new subsection (8) deals with pensions rather than service. An officer appointed before the effective date on pensionable terms has a pensionable age of 65, unless the officer elects to retire at 70; any retirement before the elected age of 70 is treated as early retirement. That election matters — it determines whether a departure is a normal or an early retirement for pension purposes.
The instrument also repeals the Defence (Regular Force) (Officers) (Amendment) Regulations, 2016 (No. 7), published in S.I. 50 of 2016.
One drafting slip is on the face of the text: the principal regulations are described as the Defence (Regular Force) (Officers) Regulations, 2016, "published in Statutory Instrument 152 of 1988" — the year of the regulations and the year of the instrument cited cannot both be right, so the principal instrument should be confirmed before relying on the citation.
What changed
- Permanent service officers retire at 55 regardless of length of pensionable service
- The Minister, on the Commander's recommendation, may extend service by five years to age 60
- The President, on the Minister's recommendation, may extend a further five years to age 65
- War veteran officers may be extended from 65 to a final compulsory retirement at 70
- Officers on an extension may be required to retire early on twelve months' written notice
- Officers appointed before the effective date on pensionable terms have a pensionable age of 65, or 70 if elected
- S.I. 50 of 2016 is repealed
Who this affects
- serving officers of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces regular force
- war veteran officers still in permanent service
- the Defence Forces Service Commission and the Commander
- defence forces pensions administrators
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.