The delivery of blankets and food parcels that coincided with the cold front that hit the country brought warmth and much relief to close to two hundred pensioners and people living with disabilities from Tlhabologang Township near Coligny.
The needy elders were overjoyed to receive the consignment from North West Premier Thandi Modise over the past weekend.
Speaking to the elderly before handing over the blankets, Premier Modise said that every parent should take responsibility for their own children and not dump them with grandparents as this amounts to abuse of elders.
“The re-registration process that SASSA is engaged in countrywide is aimed at ridding the pension system of fraud and corruption to safeguard the interests of grant recipients. It is to ensure that no one either than the rightful beneficiaries access monies,” Modise assured the elderly.
She added that the elderly are important members of our communities who should be loved and cared for.
The Premier’s intervention was motivated by numerous requests from members of the community.
The impoverished community is characterised by high rate of unemployment, illiteracy, HIV and Aids and tuberculosis infections, poverty, unregistered births among former farm dwellers and uninhabitable and poor housing.
The area depends on farming as economic activity. The two firms (NWK and Transnet) are only source of employment for few people.
Expressing her delight, pensioner, Emily Senyabi, 69 of Extension 3 said that the Premier has given her a relevant gift for the winter season.
“The compassionate gesture by the Premier has lifted our spirits with joy and hope. We are blessed to have a mother like her. I did not have enough blankets to get me warm and my pension grant is not enough that it could get me more blankets,” she said.
Another pensioner, Nelson Msindo, 63 expressed appreciation that the Premier did not send them blankets but personally came out in the freezing weather to distribute them.
The elderly were treated to a lively performance by Popular Gospel artist, Winnie Mashaba who has volunteered her services for all Premier’s Discretionary Projects.
The blankets were donated by Wendy Leepile of Molagodimo Projects, a provincial based company that supplies medical equipments while food parcels were sponsored by the Department of Social Development, Women, Children and People with disabilities.
MEC Mosetsanagape Mokemele-Mothibi together with Ditsobotla Local Municipality accompanied Premier Modise to the event held at the local Apostolic Faith Mission Church.
In the afternoon, Modise accompanied by Mokemele-Mothibi, Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality Mayor, Councillor Afrika Thale and Kgosi Suping handed over a newly built pristine house to 50 year-old single mother, Dipuo Dithate of Supingstad who was born disfigured due to an incident in which she was allegedly kicked in her face by her father while in her mother’s womb during her pregnancy.
The Premier expressed her gratitude to Otukile Kgabi of Maseno General Trade for building the mother of one and grandmother to two a house.
“The donation of the house build in support of the Each One Settle-One Programme by the housing contractor should serve as a monument of love and signify our collective condemnation of domestic violence and abuse of women and children,” she said.
Enquiries:
Lesiba Moses Kgwele, Spokesperson
Cell: 083 629 1987
Tel: 018 388 3705
Fax: 086 620 4802
E-mail: LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za
Province
