Hon. Deputy House Chair, Mama Nkopane
Hon. Premier
Organised Elderly Formations representatives
Secretary to the Legislature and Secretariat
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Thank you for joining us this morning.
Ladies and gentlemen, this event takes place at a time, where as a country we celebrate Women’s Month and our 20 years of democracy. Since our liberation in 1994, we have achieved a lot in our efforts towards a better life for all.
As we are meeting today, I want us to salute the women of our country who played a prominent role in the struggle for equal rights.
It is also worth mentioning that as the Legislature we are grateful for the efforts of our elderly in the struggle for our liberation and in building functional families.
The parliament for Senior Citizens is an opportunity to stimulate discussion among older persons of this province in line with Section 118 of the Constitution, which requires us to facilitate public participation in all Legislative processes.
Rule 18.1 of the Standing Rules of the Legislature gives meaning to this constitutional obligation, as it enables the institution to recognise and acknowledge all sectors of the community by hosting Sectoral Parliaments.
The above are aimed at highlighting issues that are affecting members of a particular sector of our community and today’s parliament is dedicated to the elderly.
Public participation is considered fundamental to the people’s Legislature and we cannot be a people’s Assembly unless we are closely in touch with the people. Through this sector parliament we will ensure that relevant government departments are able to respond to the issues raised and in the development of a caring society, particularly for older persons.
We are gathered here under the theme: Moving the Senior Citizens’ Agenda forward beyond the 20 years of democracy, which put emphasis on the importance of involving older persons in decisions making and development of policies that affect them.
Ladies and gentlemen, this theme, reminded me of an extract from the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, of August 1982, which says:
‘The human race is characterised by a long childhood and by a long old age. Throughout history this has enabled older persons to educate the younger and pass on values to them; this role has ensured man’s survival and progress. The presence of the elderly in the family home, the neighbourhood and in all forms of social life still teaches an irreplaceable lesson to humanity. Not only by his life but indeed by his death, the older person teaches us all a lesson. Through grief the survivors come to understand that the dead do continue to participate in the human community by the results of their labour, the works and institutions they leave behind and the memory of their words and deeds.’
In reality, this passage demonstrates that our senior citizens have knowledge and wisdom that can strengthen our foundation of building a better life for all.
We greatly appreciate having members of the media in our programmes. Your presence today will make an immense difference to the millions of people who are not part of this sitting.
Together we move South Africa forward.
