Gugulethu Indoor Sports Centre was packed to the rafters on Tuesday 31 August when Ilitha Labantu in partnership with the departments of Public Works, Justice and Health hosted a Women’s Month event to close off the month.
Over 80 senior citizen clubs from the area and the surrounding communities attended the event, which featured live performances.
Nombeko Lephuthing, Ilitha Community Engagement Officer, described the event as a special gathering dedicated to senior citizens.
Officials from the different departments educated the seniors about their rights as well as health.
“Most of the time no one cares about the elders. They are always indoors. They are the ones who are left with the grandchildren when their mothers are at work or gallavanting. They don’t have people to talk to,” said Lephuting, adding that many elderly women were physically and emotionally abused by their children.
Speakers urged the elders to speak out against abuse and ill-treatment. “Because they stay alone they become the victims of rape or even killed. So, we want to entertain them to forget whatever problems they face,” she explained.
Thozama Mdengwana, a member of the KTC Senior Club, described the event as educational. “They told us that when our children abuse us financially, emotionally and physically we must report them to the nearest police station or go to Ilitha Labantu. Even if they don’t support or give us money, we must go to the social workers to report them,” she explained.
Mdengwana said they enjoyed the event and forget about stresses caused by the grandchildren.
Senior manager on finance and supply chain management in the Department of Public Works in the Western Cape Nomalanga Kani described the event as a thanksgiving and appreciation for all the work done by the seniors in the country.
“Our elders are always taken for granted in our communities not knowing that they are the ones who have knowledge of many things that occurred in this country,” she explained.