Sihlalo, ngilotjhise kumma uNgqongqotjhe u-Edna Molewa, kumalunga nabavakatjhi abakhona. Sihlalo, phezu kwekulomo yethu namhlanje yokulwa nendlala nomthlago, ngibawa ukuqalisa ikulumo yami ebantwini abadala - abezimu abasadla umratha - abezimu abaqalane nomthlago, ababuzi bona umthlago yini. Labo babantu abasifundisako. Njalo-ke ngikhuluma ngabantu abadala.
Nangiragela phambili ngithi: (Translation of isiNdebele paragraphs follows.)
[Ms M G BOROTO: Chairperson, greetings to Minister Edna Molewa, members and guests present here today. Chairperson, in our debate today, which is about fighting hunger and poverty, I would like to direct my speech to the elders - the ancestors who are still alive, who are faced with poverty and who have a very clear understanding of what poverty is. These are the people who taught us. By saying this I am referring to older persons.
I would like to continue by saying the following.] On 1 October 2010, South Africa, with the rest of the world, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons, which was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on 14 December 1990. It is a significant anniversary because, during those two decades, the world's demographic profile changed more dramatically than at any previous time.
The rapid growth in old persons aged 60 and above in South Africa reflects the need for the synchronisation of economic and social policies for inclusive development. They were estimated at 50,5 million in 2007 and that number is expected to reach 65,5 million globally in 2015, and 2015 would be the year for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Siyabona bonyana abantu abadala bazabe bangangani ... [We see how many older persons there will be...]
... and what is expected of us as the government, specifically in South Africa.
They will exceed 103 million in 2030 and 205 million in 2050. As these rapidly increasing numbers show, the number of older persons in Africa will grow at an annual rate of 3,1% between 2007 and 2015, and 3,3% between 2015 and 2050.
It is clear that elderly people represent an ever-growing proportion of the population, causing new social, demographic and economic situations. More people live longer lives and they require age-friendly environments, health care and services of all kinds. Therefore, it is logical that the phenomenon of poverty in old age is increasingly catching the attention of the government and policy-makers. This is evident from what we see in the policies and the legislation proposed by the ruling party in this government.
Considering the vulnerability of older persons, appropriate measures must and are being taken to establish a social security scheme to provide benefits to older persons without discrimination of any kind and ensure equal rights for men and women. It also follows that the increase in older components of the population is presenting challenges. We are talking about challenges with regard to our obligations stemming from our African culture and tradition of taking care of the elderly and respecting them.
Sazi kuhle bona ngendlela yepilo yethu, akusilula ukuthatha ugogo batjho uyombeka ezindlini zabantu abalupheleko, lokho kuba yinto embi khulu ebantwini bekhethu. Manjesi kufanele siqinisekise bonyana abantu laba nanyana bahlezi emizini yabo ebonisa umtlhago, kube khona okwenziwako begodu kwenzeke kulorhulumende okhona namhlanje. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[We know very well that according to our culture it is not easy to take your grandmother and place her in an old age home. Such actions are not acceptable to our people. Therefore, we need to ensure as the present government that we do something about this situation - about these people wherever they are, especially those who are in homes that are engulfed by poverty.]
The other thing is the increasing demand for health care.
Into enye engizayitjho namhlanje, Ngqongqotjhe, kukobana kwezamaPhilo senza koke okusemandleni ethu. [Again, what I would like to mention today, Minister, is that when it comes to health care we are doing all we can.]
We are doing all we can.
Kodwana akhe ukhambe uye emrholweni lapho abogogo barholela khona, uzakuthola abogogo bahlezi elangeni batjhiswa lilanga banganazo neentulo kungekho neentende. Ngibawa bona umNyango wethu lo ungenelele ukusiza abantu abadala ukuze isimo sabo sepilo sikghone ukuba ncono. Sizokuba ncono nangabe bayatlhogomeleka. Kutjho bona kufanele kube nokusebenzisana phakathi kwemiNyango yezokuThuthukiswa komPhakathi nowezamaPhilo. Sitlhogomele abogogo bethu bona basiphilele, basifundise siye phambili. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[But go to pension paypoints where grandmothers get their pensions, and you will find them sitting under the burning sun without chairs and tents. I would like this department to intervene in order to assist these older persons so as to make their living conditions better. Their living conditions will be better if they are well taken care of. This means that there must be a good working relationship between the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health. We should take good care of our grandmothers so that they live longer and teach us going forward.]
The ANC, at its 50th national conference in Mafikeng, directed that redressing poverty and inequalities had to be its central focus so as to ensure that government and other sectors of society met the basic needs of the underprivileged, especially the aged of our country. The conference supported the development of a comprehensive social security system including contributory and noncontributory social security measures.
In pursuance of that resolution, the ANC-led government appointed the Taylor commission to investigate the development of a comprehensive social security policy and to propose ways in which all existing means to provide a social wage are strengthened. The Taylor report provided the basis for the development of such a social security policy and affirmed the need to strengthen the implementation to expand the reach of existing policies, while finding new ways to close existing gaps which still leave certain people vulnerable. A worrying problem that I must again talk about, as far as caring for older persons is concerned, is abuse, which comes in many different forms. When elder abuse is mentioned, the first thought is often of a person showing signs of physical abuse. However, far more difficult to see are the scars of psychological and emotional abuse, as the symptoms are more subtle.
Financial abuse manifests itself in a number of ways, the most obvious being a shortage of money, food or basic necessities. Some elderly persons are even denied care, and sometimes find themselves homeless.
The other problem that we must look at today is that we have our girls leaving their children with their mothers. Something must be done about that. Steps must be taken to ensure that our young people do not abuse the elderly by always leaving their children with them, going everywhere and not even caring about what is happening at home.
Iyababulala abogogo bethu, begodu ugogo njengoba umazi angekhe alale umntwana angakadli uzokuqinisekisa bona umntwana ulala adlile. Lokho kutjengisa bonyana sibone bona abogogo bahlukunyezwa babantu abatjha banamhlanje ababatjhiya nabentwana. Mhlambe abantu abatjha laba esele basebenza, abatjhiya abentwana nabogogo, nabo fanele babhadeliswe imali yokutlhogomela abantwana, ukuze abogogo bathole imali leyo yokuhlala nabentwana. (Translation of isiNdebele paragraph follows.)
[These things are killing our grandmothers, as you know that a grandmother will never go to bed without ensuring that the child has eaten. She will make sure that the child eats food before going to bed. That indicates to us that there are a number of girls today who abuse their grandmothers by leaving them with their children. Maybe these young people who are now working and leave their children to be taken care of by the grandmothers should somehow pay money to these grandmothers who are left with their children, so that these grandmothers get the money for taking care of these children.]
Elder abuse respects ... [Laughter.] Oh, my time is up. Let me just pause and say that systematic abuse is when an older person's rights are violated by any action or lack of appropriate action by the state or any other statutory body or organisation, like grants being stopped without any warning, essential medication not being available at state clinics and hospitals or medical aids discarding older members. We cannot tolerate that.
In conclusion, Chairperson, older persons are assets of a society and can contribute significantly to the development process of our nation. [Time expired.]
Ngitjhilo ekuthomeni ukuthi babotitjhere abangakafundi. [I mentioned earlier that they are teachers who did not go to school.]
As such, they need to be empowered and their participation ensured. They, who are the custodians of our history and cultural, moral and social values, are now normally confined to old age homes, and are no longer accessible to children and youth who should be learning from them. In African communities, we say that it takes a village to raise a child.
Ngifuna ukucedelela ngokutjho amagama akhulunywa nguMongameli wethu nakakhuluma kuSamithi yeZekolo ebe ibanjelwe nge-Johannesburg nakathi:
The principal educators in our communities are older persons. They educate both the parents and their offspring. Help us reinculcate these values of honouring our elders.
Ngithokoze, Sihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiNdebele paragraphs follows.)
[I would like to conclude by quoting the words that were spoken by our President when he addressed the religious summit which was held in Johannesburg. He said:
The principal educators in our communities are older persons. They educate both the parents and their offspring. Help us reinculcate these values of honouring our elders.
Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]