City of Cape Town Link

City hosts fourth annual Cape Town Games for Older Persons

<span> <div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info note"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Note to editors: </h4><p> <b></b>the below is an extract from a speech by City of Cape Town Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, when she opened and participated in the fourth annual Cape Town Games for Older Persons today, 5 April 2017.</p></div></div></span> <p>Mayoral Committee Member for Area North, Councillor Suzette Little; Safety and Security and Social Services Mayoral Committee Member, Alderman JP Smith; Social Services Executive Director, Ernest Sass; Director for Social Development, Alfonso Sauls; officials of the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Government; and our very special guests – all of the older people present today.</p><p>Good morning, goeie dag, molweni, as-salaam alaikum, shalom.</p><p>We are all here today because we want to say one thing to you.</p><p>We want to thank you. We thank you for raising all of us and thank you for building this wonderful city that you raised us in. </p><p>We also thank you for the leadership you continue to provide to us today.</p><p>We know that many of you are the heads and the breadwinners of your families. </p><p>We know the pressures and financial strain that you are often put under to carry the generations after you. </p><p>So we take great pride in taking a day to honour the fathers and mothers of this city. </p><p>Today we brought you here for a day of fun and entertainment. We also have some medical assistance so that you can have diabetes and blood pressure tests because you are important to us and we want to help you look after yourselves.</p><p>But as part of our commitment to redress and being a caring city, we have other more long-standing programmes in place to show you how grateful we are for you every day. </p><p>Just last week we introduced the draft budget which has a large social package component. We have proposed to spend R2,7 billion on giving rates rebates and relief to those who need it most, and this includes the elderly. For the senior citizen and disabled person rates rebate, you qualify if your maximum monthly household income is R15 000 or less.</p><p>If you want more information about how to access this rebate, please call your local pay office. This is to ease the financial strain that your pensions are already under. </p><p>We also have a dedicated programme for older people so that we can encourage you to lead healthy and active lifestyles. </p><p>As part of this programme, we have more than 270 home-based carers who are helping us to look after you. They provide home-based companionship and non- medical care. They are our eyes and ears so that we can know if you are perhaps in need of assistance but maybe have too much pride to ask. They are working very hard all over the city in areas like Lwandle, Lavender Hill and Hanover Park. In the next financial year we will be reintroducing this programme.</p><p>Last year we also introduced a very exciting programme which some of you are getting to experience today. The Ubuntu Touch workers are a pilot Expanded Public Works Programme project. They are here with us today. They received CETA accreditation in massaging and all 10 of them are working at our clinics. They are also specifically trained to assist people with disabilities. This year we will be expanding the project to 40 workers so that even more of our elderly residents will be able to enjoy this service. </p><p>Thank you very much to these workers who are helping us build a caring city. </p><p>I also would like to add that I do have some wheelchairs and commodes available in my office. If you or someone you know is in need of this equipment, you can just approach your local ward councillor or area-based mayoral committee member and ask them to make contact with my office. We will even have it delivered to you wherever you are in the city. </p><p>I hope that you have enjoyed spending the day here with us. </p><p>We appreciate it and I am now looking forward to competing with you in some activities. </p><p>I thank you. God bless.</p> <span> <div class="image-gallery-slider img-gal-1" id="img-gal-1" data-slide="1" data-slides="3" style="height:493.5px;"><div class="image-gallery-content" style="height:414px;"> <figure class="itemSlide slide-left slide-1"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/older%20persons%20event.jpg" alt="" style="width:948px;" /> <figcaption class="image-slide-text" style="display:none;"> <p>City hosts fourth annual Cape Town Games for Older Persons</p> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="itemSlide slide-left slide-2"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/speech%20by%20mayor.jpg" alt="" style="width:948px;" /> <figcaption class="image-slide-text" style="display:none;"> <p>City hosts fourth annual Cape Town Games for Older Persons</p> </figcaption> </figure> <figure class="itemSlide slide-left slide-3"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/Mayor%20with%20the%20people.jpg" alt="" style="width:967px;" /> <figcaption class="image-slide-text" style="display:none;"> <p>City hosts fourth annual Cape Town Games for Older Persons</p> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="image-gallery-control"><div class="image-gallery-caption"><p> <a title="title" href="#"><b>Aerial view of Cape Town</b></a> - Loren ipsum dolor sit amet loren ipsum dolor sit amet Loren ipsum dolor sit amet.</p></div><div class="image-gallery-nav"><div class="nav-info">1 of 3</div><div class="slide-next"> <i class="icon arrow-white-next"></i> </div><div class="slide-prev"></div></div></div></div></span> <p> <br> <strong>End</strong></p>

2017-04-04T22:00:00Z

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