Tsakane Concerned Pensioners host peaceful march
Tsakane – The Tsakane Concerned Pensioners are saying 'enough is enough' and making their dissatisfaction known to their local leadership.
These pensioners gathered at the Faranani Mutli-Purpose Centre on Tuesday, starting the day’s proceedings with a meeting.
This was then followed with a march to the Tsakane Police Station, where they handed over their first petition of the day.
The document was received by Lt Col Nomuzi Magubane, on behalf of the station commander Col Johannes Hendrik Jasper Maass.
Read: Seniors to hand over petition to mayor
Speaking on behalf of the pensioners on the matter, Alexandra Mashiane says: “As pensioners we find ourselves being bullied and sometimes abused by our own children and grandchildren.
“We then call the police to come and help us, only to find that they take them away but later release them to come back and harass us.
“Some of our seniors also are unable to enjoy their pension money as it is taken away from them.
“We therefore want our pensioners to be helped and to be safe,” he emphasises.
The marchers then moved on to the Tsakane Customer Care Centre (CCC), where the pensioners had hoped mayor Mzwandile Masina would be present to receive their second petition.
However, Masina was not present.
Read: Seniors need community’s help to raise funds
The petition was however read, signed and handed over to the CCC manager Loraine Mokgatle and ward councillor Ernst Luvalo.
Senior representative Daniel Vusi Sibeko, reading some of the grievances noted on the petition to Mokgatle and Luvulo, says: “We as pensioners are tired of very high estimated services, pension money not increasing as much as other necessities, lack of help and respect from municipal staff, high graveyard costs, having to support orphaned grandchildren and unemployed children from only R1 500 per month.
“We also don’t understand why we are seemingly picked on for paying services as seniors while other households are not bothered with SMS notifications, lawyers and consultants among other things,” she says.
Mokgatle and Luvulo signed for the notice and vowed to hand over the petition to the mayor’s officer.
The pensioners have given the SAPS and municipality 21 days to respond to these petitions.
If they, however, don’t receive any joy in the responses, they say they will take further action.
