[LISTEN] Joburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse Commends Saaberie Chishty for Taking Care of the Elderly

Newly elected Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse has commended NGO Saaberie Chishty Society for their various humanitarian efforts including taking care of the elderly in Lenasia and other communities.

Phalatse together with former Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Ismail Vadi, former Johannesburg PR Councillor Zarina Motala and Trade Route Malls Yaseen Vally attended a fire safety campaign in conjunction with the City of Johannesburg Emergency Services (COJEMS) at the Nirvana Old Age Home on Saturday.

The 106 units at the Nirvana old age home were each fitted with a fire extinguisher and smoke alarm to keep the elderly safe from fire hazards.

The initiative by Saaberie Chishty and Joburg Emergency Services comes after an elderly man died in a house fire at the old age home two months ago.

Phalatse says she has been informed by the City of Johannesburg’s Group Forensic Investigations Unit that old age homes are being neglected as a result of fraud and corruption.

“So much money has been spent by the city to repair and maintain our senior citizens retirement villages, but that money has not reached where it was supposed to go. It’s not that the money is not that there, it’s not there is no will to resolve these issues, but it is that the system has people who are intent on stealing from our most vulnerable citizens.”

Phalatse says while government has a lot of challenges, private partnersships can overcome the obstacles the city is facing.

“I am glad to see that there are already such partnerships in place and I would like to commend our EMS disaster management for creating an enabling environment for organisations such as Saaberie Chishty to work with government. This is truly commendable. We are here to support you, we are here to work with you, you are here to help us achieve what we are meant to achieve.”

Saaberie Chishty’a Abu Bakr Sayed says the elderly are vulnerable and it is the communities responsibility to ensure that they are safe and taken care off.

Listen to the address by the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg Mpho Phalatse