Program Director,
MEC Responsible for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Ms Pauline Williams
Honourable Chief Kamama Mukua
Clergy Present
Councillors Present
Members of the Media
HOD of the Department, Ms Drinie Samson and Officials
Ladies and gentlemen
Vandag is sonder twyfel ‘n baie spesiale dag vir die gemeenskap in Platfontein. Dit is ‘n besonderse dag omdat ons bejaarde gemeenskappe baie na aan my hart is en sal ek altyd spesiale tyd maak vir ons wyse en gryse steunpilare van ons gemeenskappe. En vandag is ons omring deur wysheid en kennis wat ons nooit sal kan vervang of van kan droom nie.
Ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that a true measure of a caring society is how best it values and protects its senior citizens. Today we are gathered to create awareness on the treatment and the protection of our older people. We are also here to celebrate the older generation from whom we received care and protection when we needed it.
We all know too well that the older persons in this country have made and continue to make an invaluable contribution to all aspects of South African life.
A prerequisite for the active involvement of older persons in building a caring society is recognition that older persons are an integral part of society. Population trends show an increasing number of older persons worldwide. It is estimated that by 2040 the population of older persons will double to become 14% of the total world population.
Today we commemorate World Elder Abuse Awareness Day under the THEME: “BUILDING STRONG SUPPORT FOR ELDERS”. This simply means building positive social support to older persons. The family support during a crisis has been proven to have a positive emotional effect on people, including older persons. While it is true that most support does come from family members, but there are many circumstances in which family members cannot be supportive.
In the absence of family members, the community based care and support services can be extremely useful for older persons. Support for older persons can be found in many places such as service centres, assisted living facilities and meals on wheels. Having a variety of positive social support can contribute to psychological and physical wellness of older persons. Such support from others can be important in reducing stress, increasing physical health and defeating psychological problems such as depression and anxiety,
In vergelyking met die res van Afrika het Suid Afrika die hoogste persentasie van ouer mense wat beteken dat die gemiddeld leef ons oumense langer as ons oumense in Afrika. Dit verg daarom van die Regering en alle sektore in ons samelewing om saam te werk sodat ons na die behoeftes en beskerming van ons oumense moet kyk. Dit is ‘n skandalige feit dat baie van ons brose oumense leef in armoede en word beskou as ‘n las in die samelewing. Dit is hartseer om te hoor hoe hierdie oumense slagoffers van geweld en misdaad word en hoe hulle, en in baie gevalle deur hul eie familie mishandel word. Dit is ‘n skande op ons as Afrikaners.
As a country, we can never boast to be free whilst senior citizens of our country who brought this freedom, continue to suffer and do not enjoy all of the rights enshrined in our Constitution. I believe that one of the biggest problems with our society today is the lack of respect people show for each other and especially for our elders.
Dames en here, wat kommerwekkend is, is hoe kinders hul ouers behandel. En dit laat my wonder watter verantwoordelikheid het Christenkinders teenoor hulle ouers?
“Eer jou vader en jou moeder” is ‘n Gebod van God. Die Bybel stel dit duidelik dat ons sal oes wat ons saai, en dat ons gemeet sal word met die maat waarmee ons ander meet. Die manier waarop ons ons ouers en mense wat ouer as ons is, behandel (ongeag daarvan of jy ’n kind, tiener of volwassene is) skep ’n patroon van hoe ons kinders óns gaan behandel.
In Grimm se feëverhale word die storie vertel van ’n ou man wie se oë voortdurend geflikker, en wie se hande onbeheerbaar gebewe het. Omdat hy geen blyplek gehad het nie, het hy by sy seun ingetrek. Sy skoondogter kon dit nie verdra dat hy aan tafel die eetgerei aanhoudend laat ratel, en drankies verspil het nie.
In haar woede en ergernis het sy daarop aangedring dat hy op sy eie in die hoekie moet eet, nie by die familie nie.
Hy het op sy eie begin eet, terwyl hy soms na die tafel geloer het waar sy familie sit. Tot op ’n dag wat sy hande só gebewe het, dat hy sy bord op die vloer laat val, en sy kos op die mat beland het.
Die skoondogter het geskree: “As jy soos ’n vark wil eet, sal ons jou soos ’n vark voer!” Sy het ’n houttrog op die grond neergesit en hom aangesê om soos ’n dier uit die trog te eet. Hy hét toe ook maar!
’n Paar dae later kom die vrou se jong seun opgewonde by die huis. Hy wou vir haar wys wat hy gemaak het: “Kyk, Mamma, ek het ’n trog gemaak, om jou en Pappa uit te voer wanneer ek groot is.”
Die vrou het in trane uitgebars toe sy besef watter aaklige ding sy aangevang het. Van toe af het die ou man sy maaltye saam met die familie aan tafel geëet, en die skoondogter het alles in haar vermoë gedoen om te probeer vergoed vir die onmenslike behandeling van haar skoonpa.
Daar is vandag ’n opsigtelike gebrek aan respek vir die oues van dae. In busse staan tieners nie meer op om vir ouer mense sitplekke aan te bied nie. Volwassenes wys al te gou hulle frustrasie as hulle tydens inko-
pies agter bejaardes in die tou moet staan, en baie kinders het weinig waardering vir die wysheid van hulle grootouers.
Wat selfs erger is, is dat so baie Christen-gesinne hulle bejaarde ouers in ouetehuise verwaarloos. Christene behoort ’n voorbeeld van sorgsaamheid vir diegene in nood te wees, en behoort tyd aan die oues van dae te bestee. God heg waarde aan die wysheid van die grysheid, en ons behoort dit ook te doen (Spr 16:31). “Wees gehoorsaam aan jou vader en moeder, jy is hulle kind; en moet hulle nie verag as hulle oud geword het nie.” Spr 23:22.
Dit is baie duidelik vir ons van wat die rol van ouer mense in ons sameleweing is. “N goeie manier om betrokkenheid en interaksie tussen ouer mense en die gemeenskap te bevorder, is om inetraksie en samewerking na te streef. Jongmense kan baat vind by die ondervinding van ouer mense en kan ook ouer mense se lewe verreik deur belanstelling in hulle en hul behoeftes te toon. En hiermee wil ek ‘n ernstige beroep op die gemeenskap doen om die beskerming en veiligheid, assok die geestesgesondheid van ons ouer garde te bevorder en te verseker.
Platfontein word in die gesig gestaar deur ‘n magdom uitdagings. Armoede is een van die mees dringende uitdagings wat die gemeenskappe van die Khwe en Xun mee worstel waar tot op Sewe en Negentig Persent van die gemeenskap met minder as Een Dollar, dit is nagenoeg sowat Dertien Rand, per dag moet oorleef. Die oorgrote meerderheid van die gemeenskap is afhanklik van Sosiale Toelae.
Ek is ook ingelig dat die gemeenskap ook negatiewelik beinvloed word deur familie onmin, geweld, hoe getalle van ongeletterdheid, tiener swangerskappe, kinderverwaarlosing en dwelm misbruik.
The Department has 2 full time social workers and 1 social auxiliary worker in Platfontein and funds 2 Isibindi Programmes for the Xun Community with 9 Child and Youth Care Workers and Kwe community with 11 Child and Youth Care workers who render services to vulnerable children and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Ladies and gentlemen, as Government we have taken decisive actions to deal effectively with challenges facing older people in this country. I am proud to be a member of this ANC led Government that cares for its senior citizens. We acknowledge today that despite its short life, democratic South Africa has achieved significant milestones towards improving the status of older persons. This is in keeping up with the provisions of our Constitution which enshrines the rights of all people in our country to dignity, equality before the law and non-discrimination on the basis of age.
We have since passed relevant legislation, namely the Older Persons Act No. 13 of 2006. The Act is aimed at protecting and promoting the wellbeing of older persons, addresses the issues of poverty and the changing role of older persons in society, and encompasses the main pillars of the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing, to which South Africa is a signatory.
As government, we are fully aware that one of the challenges facing older persons is that many of them face a life of financial difficulties when they reach pension able age. This state of affairs is variance with the promise of creating social justice and a fairer society. As government it is our responsibility to ensure that South Africans from all walks of life have the resources necessary to achieve a secure retirement. This we believe is the first step toward rectifying the current policy gaps with regard to retirement and expanding the social security system to include people who would otherwise have little, if any, income support for themselves and their dependents.
Over the years research studies have consistently confirmed that the old age pension not only reduces the occurrence of hunger and extreme poverty among older persons, but also facilitates household access to basic services and economic opportunities. It goes without saying that social pensions are an effective way of reducing poverty as older persons live and share resources with their families. Moreover, the old age pension has a substantial impact on child wellbeing as it enhances school attendance, better nutrition among children and contributes to breaking intergenerational poverty.
There is of course, only so much that government can do, we need partnerships between all sectors of society from the national government, civil society, local government and the community as a whole to comprehensively address the needs of our senior citizens. The family, the community, and the public sector should play complementary roles in providing a continuum of care to older persons.
My boodskap aan ons wyse en gryse mense is dat ons lief is vir ieder en elk van U en dat ons omgee vir U. Ek wil ook my innig dank aan U oordra vir die bydrae wat U gelewer het in die bou van hierdie nasie. Ek wil U ook bedank vir U wysheid en leiding en dat u U ervaring en kennis aan die jonger geslag oordra en nalaat.
Ten slotte wil ek almal hier bedank vir die manier waarop hulle na ons mense omsien. Dit is ‘n moeilike taak maar julle laat dit so maklik lyk. Ons sê weereens baie dankie aan almal wat betrokke is by die sentrum. Ek wil ook ‘n beroep doen op die families van die mense wat versorg word om ook by te dra by die versorging en groei van U mense. U het ‘n verantwoordelikheid teenoor hulle en hulle het ‘n reg om menslik en met deernis hanteer te word.
“Eer U vader en Moeder”sodat U dae verleng mag word”
Baie dankie
