ZF Mgcau District residents overwhelmingly supported the Older Persons Amendment Bill during public hearings conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Social Development at Piet Thole Community Hall in Upington in the Northern Cape province yesterday.
Outlining the purpose of the Bill, Ms Magdeline Petersen, a member of the committee, said the Bill seeks to amend the Older Person’s Act of 2006 to address its implementation challenges. She said the Bill seeks to insert new definitions and new provisions relating to the monitoring and evaluation of all services to older persons, to make provision for the removal of older persons to temporary safe care without a court order, to tighten up the existing implementation and compliance measures and to effect some textual amendments for greater clarity.
Expressing their views on the Bill, the residents called for, among other things, availability of safe and reliable transport for older persons, enough healthcare centres that are closer to them in their communities, for availability of Post Offices that are closer to them, closer taxi ranks and taxis that provide services that suit older persons with affordable taxi fares and availability of old age centres in their areas. They called for the department to assist them to get secured structures for older age centres.
Elderly people complained that they do not get the recognition they deserve at clinics in their communities. They told the committee that they stand in long queues at clinics and get painkillers for any ailment. They also told the committee that they struggle to get ambulances during emergencies in their areas.
Responding to concerns raised by the older persons relating to service delivery, an official from the Department of Social Development said while the department is waiting for the committee to conclude the public hearings in all the provinces, it will need to converge at national level to deal with the concerns that were highlighted by the elderly people on an urgent basis.
The official told the committee that service delivery issues are unpacked in section three of the Bill. Furthermore, the official said the department has gone as far as ensuring that responsibilities and roles are allocated to various government departments and stakeholders that have a contribution to make towards the implementation of the Bill.
The official assured the committee and participants about the centrality of coordination of services by various government departments, joint planning, budgeting, resourcing of programmes, monitoring of the provision of services, and availability of capable and devoted officials in various government departments who will ensure the translation of the Bill into better life for the elderly people wherever they are in South Africa.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Nonkosi Mvana, thanked the residents for their attendance to the public hearings and for their meaningful participation which she said added value to the Bill. “We appreciate your contributions on this Bill which will be considered at a time when the committee will deliberate on Bill when it has reached all provinces,” said Ms Mvana.
Source: Parliament of South Africa