Programme Director, Minister Bathabile Dlamini,
Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa and all councillors here present,
Our beloved Senior Citizens and Fellow South Africans,
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,
Dumelang, Goeie dag, Good day, Sanibonani, Molweni, Machedoni,
 
It gives me great pleasure to be back here today and to be with all of you.
Nine months ago we conducted a visit here and we interacted with our senior citizens and management of this centre.

We took note of the issues that were raised and made some commitments. One of the commitments we made was that we would come back before the end of the year to deliver on our commitments.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here today as part of fulfilling that very commitment. I am very pleased that we have fulfilled all our commitments in line with our mandate to promote the rights of our older persons. In the current financial year, the Gauteng Department of Social Development has allocated over 3 Million Rand for 96 older persons currently in the centre.
In addition, sixty thousand Rand has been set aside for two temporary safe beds.

With regard to improvement of the facility, I am pleased to report that the all renovations have been completed on time and within the allocated budget. 
Those of you who were here earlier in the year will appreciate the major improvements undertaken here which include the erection of new security wall, installation of water basins, gutters and painting of the interior and exterior walls, as well as installation of the new garden and landscaping. We also committed to assist some of the older persons in the centre to narrate their personal stories which will be published. I am pleased that we have met this commitment and we have published eight personal stories of older persons from the centre.

We are happy to launch the booklet today, with the colourful stories.
We have also installed gym equipment for use by our senior citizens as part of Government’s active ageing programme.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the measures I have outlined and the progress we have recorded thus far underline our Government’s commitment to improve all aspects of the lives of our older persons. The Government is also improving the lives of our older persons by facilitating access to social protection in order to benefit their quality of life in their golden years.

To date, almost three million older persons access Old Age Grant.
We have already taken necessary steps to ensure that we protect our senior citizens against the predatory loan sharks and illegal deductions from social grants.

The Department of Social Development is currently in the process of strengthening the Social Assistance Act Regulations to stop illegal deductions and to bring the perpetrators who exploit our senior citizens to face the full might of the law.

We are working hard to create stronger mechanisms at community to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation of our older persons. The Older Persons Act calls for an elder abuse reporting system and increase public awareness and facilitate the prosecution of individuals who violate the right of older persons.

We therefore encourage the public to report the abuse, neglect and exploitation of older persons to Gender Based Violence Command Centre.
We are working with community based organisations to provide care and support to the majority of older persons who wish to remain in their homes and with their families.

Equally, we conduct regular oversight visits to old age homes to ensure that our older persons are treated with respect and dignity.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is said that the true test of a caring society is the manner in which it values and protects the vulnerable sections of the society.

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is for our society to prevent the abuse and neglect of our senior citizens. We must collectively make it our duty to be more sensitive to the older citizens among us and to prevent the abuse and neglect of our senior citizens.

We must do all that we can to ensure that they live each day to the full, enjoying a healthy, dignified and productive life.

Fellow South Africans, as we pause to reflect on how we have given the best of ourselves in the service of others, as we always do during this time of the year, let us be vigilant in the protection of our older persons.

The festive season is about making others feel special, affirming them, reassuring them of their worth, irrespective of their age.

This festive season, let us bring hope and love to our older persons. As we give gifts, to those we love and care for, let us be always mindful of the older persons amongst us.

In the spirit of the festive season and caring for others, let us be a blessing to older persons in need and honour them.

It could be the gift of a hot meal and well-needed clothing, a visit to old age home or a visit to older persons we know in our communities.

Let us make Festive Season 2015 a season of caring for others and for one another.

I thank you.

Our Lives, Our Stories - (3 MB)