Senior citizens honoured at breakfast with ANC’s Dlabathi
'Today young people are the beneficiaries of all that the democracy has brought and that is why we must not forget your contribution as our senior citizens'
On March 12 Tembisa elderly people gathered at Rabasotho Community Hall to have breakfast with ANC Ekurhuleni head of elections Jongizizwe Dlabathi.
The purpose of the breakfast, dubbed as “Breakfast with the Senior Citizens”, was to honour senior citizens.
Jongizizwe Dlabathi has appealed to all political parties to exercise maximum political tolerance ahead of the provincial and national elections on May 8.
Media officer Thabang Mashiyane said Ekurhuleni City’s Council has passed an item in Council that allows all political parties to put up their posters but there are rules and regulations legislated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) that governs the process of voter campaign by all political parties.
“The African National Congress as the political party is the party that is leading in promoting political tolerance when we campaign for elections and ANC will continue to provide the leadership of tolerance,” Dlabathi said.
He said after the elections all political parties must remove their posters within 14 days.
“However, ANC urge all the political parties not to remove posters that are belonging to other political parties so that we live up to a commitment that our elections are free, fair, tolerant and that everyone participate to the maximum,” Dlabathi said.
Speaking to senior citizens, Dlabathi said it was important for the ANC to engage with the elderly in order to draw strength and wisdom from them.
“We enjoy this democracy today because of the struggle pensioners went through in fighting the system prior 1994.
Today young people are the beneficiaries of all that the democracy has brought and that is why we must not forget your contribution as our senior citizens,” Dlabathi said.
He appealed to the elderly people to register for indigent programmes so that they can benefit from the government programmes.
A pensioner, Fans Valashiya, said the ANC is the party that has brought about freedom and he will never vote for any other party other than the ANC.
“My prayer is for the ANC to push all its efforts in changing the lives of the poor to be better. We appeal to this movement to continue fighting corruption so that more people can benefit from the services that are excepted on the ground.
“However, we are optimistic that ANC will be able to provide jobs for our children and great-grandchildren, and we strongly believe that they will not suffer like us,” Valashiya said.
The provincial and national elections will be held on May 8.
