John Murphy has resigned as Pension Funds Adjudicator to take up a position with the United Nations.
Murphy became South Africa's first Pension Funds Adjudicator when the post was established about six years ago by the Minister of Finance.
Murphy's appointment heralded a new era for members of retirement funds, who can now have their complaints dealt with fairly, quickly and without having to resort to litigation.
Murphy's second three-year term is due to end in six months.
During his term Murphy has more than once called for an overhaul of the provisions of the Pension Funds Act under which his office functions.
In his latest annual report, he says: "We need a carefully thought-through legal framework adapted and suited to what we do, rather than the existing unworkable model.
"The office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator should be insulated from judges, who have a general view, and from lawyers, who are given to technical point-taking, or else the value of having an expeditious, cheap and informal alternative is inevitably undermined," he says.
Murphy's successor has not yet been appointed.