Premier of Gauteng, Mr David Makhura,
Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini,
Gauteng MECs present
The Mayor of Tshwane, Councillor Ramokgopa,
Our beloved Senior Citizens
Dumelang, goeie dag, good afternoon, sanibonani, molweni,
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for hosting us on this very special day.
We are happy to spend time with the residents of Lodewyk P. Spies Home.

First of all, I should take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Management of this home for agreeing to host us and the very kind welcome.

It is also a pleasure to be in the company of fellow older persons-bo Gogo na boMkhulu, who symbolise not only our ties with the past, but they are also the bridges to the future.

Our meeting here today is important in many respects, and I will mention but a few.

Our Government recognizes the important role that senior citizens play in our families and communities.

It is for this reason that we have taken time to be with you here today.

It is always a wonderful occasion to be amongst the senior citizens of our country, to be surrounded by so much wisdom, experience and expertise of people who have made sacrifices and helped to build this country to be what it is today.

We want to tap into your wisdom, experience and skills in building stronger and caring families and communities envisaged in the Freedom Charter and the Constitution of our country.

Ladies and gentlemen, from time immemorial Africans have taught us, and continue to teach us, that parents are to be respected.

These are the social values enshrined in our civilization. We therefore have the collective responsibility to establish and sustain an environment of safety and security for all the vulnerable sections of our society, including our older persons.

Section 27 of our Constitution provides, inter-alia that the State shall, within its means, make specific provisions for securing public assistance to those in need, including the older persons.

Various measures are being taken by Government and many more are likely to follow to ensure healthy and positive ageing.

As senior citizens you are the foundation of our heritage, you are the rock that keeps our families and communities together.

We should each day demonstrate our appreciation of the contribution and sacrifices that the older generation made in the struggle to build the country in which we now enjoy freedom and democracy.

We owe our older persons the dignity and respect of following many years of sacrifices to build our families and communities.

We commit to continue to work hard to ensure that our seniors are taken care of in their golden years.

I call upon each and every citizen of our country to do their utmost to ensure the welfare of our older persons in our country and to create opportunities for them to enrich our society and contribute to the growth and progress of our democratic nation.

As government, we are promoting a new progressive way of looking at ageing, through legislation such as the Older Persons Act and other programmes such as Active Ageing.

One of Government's outcomes is to ensure a long and healthy life for all South Africans.

Longevity is not just about adding years to the end of life, but more about adding years of health and vitality before the end of life.

We should therefore view ageing as an achievement and as a normal phase of life. Older persons have a right to a healthy productive life, to live in a caring environment and to be treated with respect and dignity.

The Older Persons Act is intended to do exactly that, but legislation alone is not enough.

We hear and read of horrifying stories of the abuse, neglect and exploitation of older persons throughout the country.

We must report such actions to law enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of such barbaric actions are brought before the courts of law.

We are also keeping an eye on financial exploitation of the older persons by loan sharks who operate illegally and prey on unsuspecting older persons.

This exacerbates the financial vulnerability of older persons as it put them in a vicious cycle of never-ending debts. Some loan sharks even go as far as accessing direct deductions from social grants.

The Department of Social Development is currently in the process of strengthening the Social Assistance Act Regulations, and related legislation to stop the use of social grants as collateral for loans and hold reckless lenders to account.

The department is also working collaboratively with the Department of Trade and Industry, the National Credit Regulator, and other government departments and public entities to curb these illegal practices.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Our dear senior citizens,

Our government has done its bit thus far to alleviate poverty amongst all, including older persons.

To date, almost 3 million older persons access Old Age Grant, owing much to the provision for Age Equalisation which Government implemented few years ago.

Older persons have equal access to free primary healthcare packages of services at clinics; home-based care as well as palliative care.

Our older persons have earned the right to enjoy a quality of life.

We remain committed to continue working harder to ensure that no older person falls into poverty in this country.  

As you all know, the main areas of concern for older people relate to having sufficient resources in later life for a decent standard of living.

The introduction of Government's social security and retirement reforms later this year, as announced by the Minister of Finance during the Budget Speech should help to tackle these concerns.

Key amongst these proposals is to give the Old Age Grant to all our older persons. We owe it to our elders to ensure they have a retirement that has dignity.

You have worked hard in your youth building this country and are continuing to shape its future. How we treat our elders is therefore indicative of who we are as a society.

If we treat you poorly, then we are doing a disservice to the founding father of our democracy, Mr Nelson Mandela who said, and I quote: "A society that does not value its older people denies its roots and endangers its future''

Madiba added:

"Let us strive to enhance their capacity to support themselves for as long as possible and when they cannot do so anymore, to care for them”.

I take this opportunity to call upon all South Africans to renew their commitment to the welfare and well-being of our older persons, to value their guidance and to cherish their precious company.

I wish you all good health and extend to you my best wishes for your well-being and happiness.

I thank you.