Social development’s Emalahleni local municipality area office closed Tata Nelson Mandela's 92nd birthday celebrations by giving gifts to the elderly.
Emalahleni area office, led by area manager Veronica Mpondwana hosted this big event at Tsembeyi village, in the outskirts of Lady Frere. Over 500 older persons from funded Soyi and Luxolo service centres and some from non-funded centres gathered at the village’s church hall in honour of Madiba.
A windy weather forced everyone to flee the tent to congest inside the hall. Although there was little space to move, the old but strong grannies and grandpas continued to sing and dance. You would swear that they were not as old as their ages were mentioned. One thing noticeable about rural areas, elderly people from there last longer and remain strong, physically and mentally.
Boxer superstore and Nedbank, department's partners at the municipality, were also in attendance to present their gifts to the elderly. Boxer superstore brought cooking pots and boiler for the centres, whilst Nedbank donated cake and offered an opportunity for older persons to open accounts where they can receive their grants.
Twenty identified older persons aged between 79 and 110 were presented with warm blankets by the department to warm themselves up during this cold winter season.
Keynote Speaker Mpondwana, encouraged the elderly to nurture children in preservation of "our culture".
"You must make sure that you cascade the skill that you have down to the youth," Mpondwana said.
Source: Department of Social Development, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
Social Development closes Madiba month in grand style
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