The KwaZulu-Natal Senior Citizens Parliament (SCP) will adopt a set of resolutions that will be processed by the relevant KZN Legislature committees and are to be forwarded to the provincial government for implementation.

The KZN Legislature hosted the annual SCP in the Umdoni Municipality on Thursday to provide older persons with a platform to raise issues that affect them.

The event was attended by older persons from all 10 Ugu districts with the theme “Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-being and our Rights”.

The SCP formed commissions to discuss issues that are of interest to older persons. These were 

• Inadequate healthcare facilities for senior citizens.
• Inadequate housing facilities for senior citizens.
• Challenges that are brought by the Social Security Agency.
• How to bridge the gap to reduce the growing digital divide among senior citizens.

⁠The SCP will adopt a set of resolutions that will be processed by the relevant Legislature committee and forwarded to the provincial government for implementation.

Thami Ntuli, the Premier of KZN, responded to the 2024 Senior Citizens’ Parliament Resolutions held in Esikhaleni, under the King Cetshwayo District Municipality. He provided brief feedback on whether they met the targets and how these were being closely monitored. 

Ntuli regarded senior citizens as bearers of history, tradition, and wisdom.

 “You have witnessed the transformation of our country through decades of change, challenge, and triumph. Your resilience and perseverance through the eras of our nation’s history have not only shaped the present but will guide future generations,” he said. 

Ntuli stated that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development supported 624 elderly subsistence farmers towards household food production during the 1st Quarter report of the 2024/2025 financial year.

He also clarified concerns about favouritism along political party lines when it came to the employment of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP).

“Parliament resolved that the department should ensure that employment opportunities are distributed fairly across the communities and cater for older persons. The department encourages recruiting structures to prioritise elderly people, especially women, for EPWP opportunities, as most households are headed by elderly women,” Ntuli explained. 

Senior citizens were informed about voter education, issues around the Department of Home Affairs, and also their right to access quality health care. They were also educated about efforts to bridge the digital divide among senior citizens. 

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) addressed some of the concerns that senior citizens faced and also issued a warning about loan sharks, fraud, and scams. An official from Sassa urged pensioners to stay alert and protect their pensions from potential risks of fraud and scams, and to verify information before they act on it. 

Fikile Masiko, the KZN Legislature Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Quality of Life, said that it was important to create platforms for senior citizens to discuss issues that affect them so that it can strengthen the government’s quest to build a better life for all.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za

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