Programme Director,
Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mrs Maria Ntuli,
CEO of SASSA, Ms Virginia Peterson,
CEO of the NDA, Ms Vuyelwa Nhlapo,
Representatives of the Older Persons Forum,
Officials from Social Development SASSA and the NDA.
It is my extreme pleasure to welcome you all as we commemorate the International Older Persons Day. As part of the global village, South Africa is joining other citizens of the world to commemorate the international day.
This day is observed concurrently with the Social Development Month which officially kick-starts on the first day of October. During this month of October, the Department of Social Development is reaching out to the most vulnerable members of our society in a quest to improve their lives.
We are doing this in line with our priorities of creating sustainable livelihoods for all South Africans.
We are taking this opportunity to reflect on the positive strides and achievements we made in the benefit of vulnerable groups. These include the provision of basic services for children, youth and older persons.
This is in line with the April 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA). South Africa actively participated at a Ministerial level at the United Nations (UN) Second World Assembly. It is during this Assembly that all governments made a commitment of promoting more comprehensive approach to support older persons. The countries which were part of this Assembly jointly agreed that ageing is not only about social security and welfare, but it relates to overall development and economic policy.
The adoption and endorsement of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing oblige governments to address the challenge of population ageing covering three main priority areas. These areas include older persons and development; Advancing health and well-being into old age and ensuring an enabling and supportive environment for the elderly.
South Africa is expected to fulfil its obligations with respect to protecting and promoting the human and fundamental rights of all persons, including the elderly. We have the responsibility to ensure that older persons live and enjoy healthy lives in which they participate fully in the economic, social, cultural and political arenas of our society. In commemoration of the International Day for Older Persons, we have to respond to the twenty first century challenges for the development of an inclusive society for all ages.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The value of being older and having lived long lives is that you have experienced the totality of the experiences that form part of a human being’s journey. This includes the lessons that you have learnt based on mistakes and decisions you may have made. In this sense, part of the role of older persons in society is to share these lessons with the young and upcoming generation so that they can make better decisions and thereby contribute to building a better future for their children and future generations.
It is based on this system of generational development if you like, that it is a hallmark of African culture and indeed most cultures across the world that as the young, we need to treat the elders with respect and dignity. It is through dignified interaction with people older than us, even if you disagree with them, that the younger generation will earn the respect of those who come after them.
Mutual trust, mutual respect and reciprocity are what will build a better society for ourselves, our children and their grandchildren. It is against this background that we discourage the abuse of older persons because they form part of the institutions of heritage from which we can learn customary and cultural practices. The abuse of older persons must not be allowed to threaten the lives of these true beacons of hope because they still have a lot to offer the current generation, in particular young people.
We call upon all South African citizens to name and shame people who abuse and make use of the older persons’ social grants income. This also applies to money lenders who allow pensioners to borrow money while they know very well that it will be difficult for them to repay their loans. Such people must be reported to the police and other law enforcement agencies.
I am mentioning this because on various occasions, pensioners are attracted by unregistered loan sharks to make loans which are difficult to settle. It is also important to note that some pensioners use their pension grants to maintain their grandchildren. Some of these elders spend their pensions to make provision for the educational needs of their orphaned grandchildren.
As a country which has respect for fundamental human rights, we have the Constitution which upholds the rights to human dignity. The cornerstone of South African democracy, the Bill of Rights states that “Everyone has inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected”.
These constitutional provisions serve as a reminder and a lesson for us to change our perceptions towards the elderly. We have the responsibility to treat our senior citizens with respect and the dignity they deserve.
Our senior citizens have an important role to play and the contribution to make in the transformation of our society.
Thank you!
