Rights of elderly should be protected
Older persons have human rights that need government, families and communities.
In commemoration of International Older Persons Day, declared by the United Nations as November 1, KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza visited the community of Rosettenvile in Umzumbe Municipality last Sunday.
Khoza made an impassioned plea to all citizens to build a country that is safe and secure for older persons. She said that the safety of older persons is everyone’s responsibility, but starts in families, then the community and society.
“Older persons have human rights that need government, families and communities. Every older person deserves love, respect and support from younger generations. Nowadays we see many incidents where elderly people are disrespected and I can assure that a nation that disrespects old people loses its foundation,” said Khoza.
She added that it was crucial that government invests more time and effort in the protection of senior citizens.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to exercise more vigilance to ensure that all senior citizens are safe and protected. As the Department of Social Development we are working hard daily to ensure that senior citizens have a better life,” Khoza emphasised.
She said in a recent dialogue held with some old citizens, the elderly said they do not want to be left out. They would also like to be taught about the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
Echoing the words of Khoza, the provincial chairperson of the Senior Citizens Forum, Daphney Memela said they want government to consider ways of developing older persons.
“In this day and age the world demands people to be knowledgeable about technology. We cannot be left behind as senior citizens. Today, meetings are held on computers and we also want to learn how these technologies work,” said Memela.
She said she would like to applaud the department for taking an interest in the lives of the people.
Among some of the issues and challenges raised by the elderly, water was a major issue.
The elderly urged that government prioritises water supply, especially in the rural areas.
They said that government should drill boreholes to provide them with water, so that they can also take part in agriculture.
Crime was also a major challenge. The elderly said many grannies and grandpas have been victims of intrusion, where criminals have violated their rights.
“We want to see police working to protect us. Our children and grandchildren are the people who violate our rights. We have a serious challenge of crime in Emathulini clan and we need government to rescue us,” the elderly emphasised.
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