Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
26 October 2001
Premier, Comrade Ramatlodi,
The MEC, Comrade Moloto,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen, and most importantly
The 342 pensioners over the age of 100 years.
Warmest greetings on this day to celebrate the achievements of the older people in the Northern Province.
I salute the 342 pensioners whom God has blessed and who are during this year marking birthdays that are over 100 years.
I salute all older people in the Northern Province. Every day of our lives we appreciate your continuing contributions to building strong families and communities. As individuals we often forget to regularly express this appreciation to our parents and grandparents.
This makes today's collective expression of gratitude and acknowledgement all the more significant. Today we celebrate your long life, your life's work, your achievements, your leadership and your wisdom.
Today is a day to both celebrate our older people and reflect upon their continuing contributions to developing our people and nation.
Contributions of older people to development
As parents and grandparents, older people are the guardians of the community. They nurture families, provide protection and ensure the survival of the community. Many older people use a large part of their pension income to provide food and school fees for grandchildren. They also care for orphans, especially those that are affected and infected by HIV/Aids.
Older people are also the custodians of our traditions, heritage and culture - they have learnt from our ancestors and are teaching it to the children. We must continue to cherish the positive aspects of our traditions and cultures. Let us not forget that it was these values and beliefs that formed the basis of our culture, which enabled us to defeat apartheid.
These values and beliefs have now been enshrined in our new constitution and they will ensure a better life for our children.
It is our older people who led the way in our struggle for democracy and equality, and they continue to contribute to building the new South Africa. Through the sacrifices of men and women, both alive and dead like the late Oliver Tambo, the late Govan Mbeki, the late Lillian Ngoyi, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and many more, SA is now a proud part of the free and democratic community of nations. It enjoys freedom and democracy thanks to their supreme sacrifices.
Our older people do not take democracy for granted. Their high levels of participation in national and local elections has and will continue to ensure that their voices and concerns are given the attention they deserve. Older people need our continued support in preserving this tradition.
Our elders and old people who we are celebrating today know better than anyone that life is a journey. Here on earth this journey has a beginning, a middle section and an end. There is no better way to get lost than to forget where the journey began and what we want to achieve at the end of the journey. Fortunately, we are not a people that does not know its history and roots. We also have a clear vision of the caring society we are building together as part of the African Renaissance.
Because the world is changing so fast - sometimes for better, sometimes for worse - there has to be close cooperation between the older generation and the younger generations. This cooperation will ensure an alignment between our history and roots, and our ultimate vision for Africa in the 21st Century. Today's 5th Annual Centenarians Celebrations is a testament to the collaboration between the old and young generations and government congratulates the people of the Northern Province.
Today's celebration is evidence of the quality of leadership that is being produced and provided in the Northern Province. I commend the traditional leaders, the community leaders, the religious leaders, the business leaders and the political leaders for your work and example.
In any journey, there are always difficulties, challenges and problems. Government is fully aware of the difficulties, challenges and problems facing older people and is taking action to correct and overcome them.
Recent actions taken to address the challenges facing older people
Government's action to address the difficulties and problems facing older people takes many forms. Poverty alleviation and eradication are the top priority of government interventions to help older people.
The Poverty and Inequality Report of 1998 has decisively shaped the programmes and resources that are being devoted to eradicating poverty at the national, provincial and local levels of government. The most recent example of this commitment to fighting poverty and inequality is the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme.
It is now almost two-and-a-half years since we observed the International Year of Older Persons. What progress have we made in implementing the commitments and plans we made at the time? Chairperson, I intend to use the rest of this address to answer this question.
Two years ago a study by HelpAge International documented the substantial social and economic contributions that older people make to the well being of families and communities in our country. In the light of this study, are we re-engineering our social security system in ways that enhance these vital contributions?
It is now also seven months since the Ministerial Committee on the Abuse, Neglect and Ill-treatment of Older People published its report. I will report on the progress that has been made in the intervening period to implementing the committee's recommendations.
Chairperson, l will address these issues of poverty, social security and the implementation of the report on the abuse of older people one by one.
Anti-poverty measures to assist older people
In order to combat poverty various municipalities have began implementing government's free basic water policy. The Department of Water Affairs estimates that as of 1 July 2000 approximately 23 million people were being served with free basic water. Progress has been uneven and the needs of pensioners and orphaned children have to be prioritized.
From my recent visits to the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces, it is clear that our services are not adequately reaching the pensioners and orphaned children who are in greatest need. In many of the projects that I visited, the situation would be desperate if it were not for the volunteers who provide vital support services. Many of these volunteers are retired nurses and teachers. I am humbled and inspired by these vital voluntary contributions to the welfare of vulnerable and orphaned children.
Improving social security and pay points
Beyond the provision of free basic water, the provision of a basket of free services and rebates including water, electricity, housing and transport is currently being investigated by the Committee of Inquiry into Comprehensive Social Security.
Government is also taking action to ensure that all forms of discrimination are removed from our social security regulations. New guidelines on the review of all grant types have been incorporated into the amendments to the Social Assistance Regulations. As the re-registration process draws to a close in most provinces, this process will have to be properly managed in a humane way with due regard for the rights of beneficiaries and the requirements of administrative justice.
The amendments to the Social Assistance Regulations and the new guidelines are being implemented together with immediate measures to improve pension pay points. In July this year we completed our project to development national norms and standards for social security. They will allow us manage and measure the level of service delivery across all provinces.
The norms and standards address the following key issues:
1. The different grant administration procedures used by individual provinces;
2. The increase in litigation that has occurred as a result of delays in approval of applications;
3. The poor conditions under which cash payments are made and the long time beneficiaries spend standing in queues;
4. The lack of enforcement of sanctions and penalties in the event of breach by payment contractors;
5. The increase in fraud cases due to lack of administrative controls; and finally
6. The non-implementation of the Batho Pele principles of service delivery.
Grant payment contractors who do not uphold the dignity, respect and rights of our citizens must have their contracts reviewed.
Implementation of the report on the abuse of older people
The report of the Ministerial Committee on the Abuse, Neglect and Ill-treatment of Older People made clear the need for co-ordinated action across government. This coordination and collaboration between departments has already started to occur. The Department of Home Affairs is prioritizing the issuance of identity documents in targeted areas so that we can increase access to social assistance. The Department of Housing for its part will be initiating an investigation into the housing needs of older persons. This investigation is being complemented by a more focused audit of all registered residential facilities for older people being conducted by the Department of Social Development.
Because of historic backlogs and new social pressures, unregistered homes for the elderly are being established in many communities. These initiatives need to be monitored and assisted such that they work in line with the constitution and help preserve the dignity and respect for older persons.
The issue of the health and nutritional status of older people is also being addressed. I have requested the Department of Health to review the accessibility of basic health services for older people and the quality of care provided.
Improvements in the poverty relief programme
Many pension committees and voluntary welfare organizations operate soup kitchens at pension paypoints. Through government's inter-departmental poverty relief programme we will be making efforts to ensure that these feeding schemes and other food security projects are provided additional support. There has to been a particular focus on households affected by HIV/AIDS.
We have also reprioritized the criteria used in the Department of Social Development's poverty relief program. We now have an explicit focus on providing support to community-based childcare initiatives that use and support the creative resources of older people.
I have also requested the national lottery's distribution agency for charities to prioritize public benefit organizations that service older people.
Before concluding, I would like to thank NAFCOC Northern Province and the Department of Health and Welfare for their work in organizing and hosting these 5th Annual Centenarian Celebrations. The President of NAFCOC, Mr Tom Boya and the MEC, Comrade Sello Moloto, have done exemplary work in bringing us together to honour the older people in the Northern Province.
We have come a long way since 1994 but there is still work that needs to be done. This requires our collective efforts and an on-going dialogue and partnership between government, the business sector and indeed the entire society.
I take this opportunity to invite NAFCOC and all business organizations to a Business - Social Development Summit, to be held early next year, where we will look at the further deepening of our relationship. At this summit we will also develop concrete programmes and projects to which we can all contribute to sustainable socio-economic development.
The dream of a caring society can only be accomplished when business, civil society and government unite in action for change.
I thank you.