DEAR Editor,-
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has again written to the South African Human Rights Commission to request an investigation into the desperate plight of elderly residents at Kokstad’s Elonwabeni Old Age Home be urgently expedited.
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The move comes after a recent follow-up inspection of the Home by DA KZN Chief Whip, Francois Rodgers, which revealed that, despite assurances to the contrary by the Department of Social Development earlier, the suffering of old age residents continues.
During the DA’s latest oversight inspection, it was found that:
* The home still has no electricity with the result that there is still no hot water for bathing while the little food that there is must be cooked on open fires. Laundry, including dirty linen, is piling up due to washing machines not being able to work;
* Food supplies have essentially run out as local farmers and businesses can no longer afford to make donations on an ongoing basis. The DA also found that there is no protein whatsoever with residents living on a diet of starch;
Poor management has now led to the lapse of residents’ funeral policies. As a result a deceased resident is being buried tomorrow purely through the goodwill of a local undertaker.
* The facility’s staff have not been paid by the DSD for two months now.
In short, nothing has changed since the DA first exposed the appalling conditions at the home in June and reported them to the SAHRC. This is an appalling indictment against MEC Weziwe Thusi and her department, who have been aware of the situation since January and whose only action has been to drop off some food supplies at the beginning of July.
Equally shocking is the fact that officials told members of the province’s social development portfolio committee earlier this month that the department and local district managers were providing proper management of the facility pending the re-election of an interim board of governors. The PC was also told that the home now had full access to electricity with the assistance of the local municipality and that the department was ensuring the distribution of adequate food to residents.
Certainly this was not the case at the inspection and it’s clear that the vulnerable residents of Elonwabeni have been abandoned by KZN Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi and her department. It is also clear that the DSD will stop at nothing to hide its inaction – even if it means lying to the portfolio committee to which it reports.
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The DA has also written to portfolio committee chairman Yatima Nahara to request her assistance in motivating the department to act on this desperate situation. They, and the provincial government as a whole, have a duty to help residents of Elonwabeni and the DA expects action to be taken.
In particular, we expect KZN Premier Willies Mchunu to sit up and take notice of the situation after he ignored our earlier letter calling on him to institute disciplinary action against the MEC for her epic failure.
The ongoing suffering of Elonwabeni’s elderly residents at the hands of an uncaring ANC government is indicative of a country facing a collapsing state, where the weak and vulnerable are at risk.
SHARON HOOSEN MPL
DA KZN Spokesperson on Social Development
FRANCOIS RODGERS MPL
Chief Whip to the DA in the KZN Legislature
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