It’s interesting that president Jacob Zuma has now called on communities to report people who abuse the elderly, saying such behaviour cannot be tolerated. That is good. The Prez said “we commit as government to work with communities to protect older persons from criminality.” He was speaking at a lunch held for elderly citizens at the Sefako M Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria where he also said “anyone who rapes senior citizens is not worth being called a human being”. We like this, but can he put his money where his mouth is?
Zuma has now instructed all police stations to ensure that victims with special needs such as the elderly have those needs taken into account when they are provided with services. “Should there be a problem with the services provided, the Station Commander and other station managers should be immediately notified so that they can provide the necessary assistance and immediate redress,” Zuma said.
Zuma said the youth should take the lead in looking after their grandparents and protecting them. “We must encourage the deepening of caring in our society and our youth are a starting point as they are the future of our country. There can be no better way of promoting inter-generational solidarity than encouraging the youth to actively support older persons, their grandparents,” he said.
Zuma also urged the elderly to teach young people about good behaviour. “We urge older persons to join us in teaching our young people what it means to be good citizens, who are guided by the understanding of respect and Ubuntu,” he said.
