Elderly get pampered in Region F for Mandela Day
The city organised this event that also featured my health screens.
The Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (Crum) directorate in Region F hosted the elderly at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre as part of the Mandela Day celebrations.
The event was aimed at acknowledging the role the elderly has played and continue to play in the community and showing solidarity with them by addressing the challenges they face in their daily lives. It was attended by the regional director Irene Mafune, Ward 58 councillor Ricky Nair and other senior managers.
Mafune said it was important that we don’t forget that the elderly took care of us and it’s now our chance to take care of them. “As a City, we always strive to improve the living conditions of our elderly by working together with social development,” she said.
Mafune also encouraged the elderly to take care of themselves by eating healthy and keeping active while acknowledging that it was society’s responsibility to take care of the elderly.
An elderly resident of Ward 58, Heather Valentine, said she was grateful to the region and private organisations who spent the day with them. She added it was a nice surprise, one that showed that the government working together with private companies could do more for them.
Fellow resident, Yusuf Ismail, affectionately known in the community as ‘Papa Joe’, said he was appreciative of the collective effort shown by City officials and the building of relationships with stakeholders in the ward.
The spirit of compassion and kindness covered the celebration where various stakeholders donated items to the most vulnerable residents. Activities on the day included eye screening, health talks, feet screening, health checks, manicures, massages, fun games and aerobics.
The region partnered with internal and external stakeholders including the University of Johannesburg, the Gauteng Department of Health, the City’s Health Department, Joburg Market, the City’s Sports and Recreation, and Clean City South Africa.
“The City lauds the assistance from partners in the region which have resulted in lasting ties as it is important to collaborate to lend a hand in improving the living conditions of the elderly,” concluded Mafune.
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