Members of Parliament have said government needs to step up and protect the rights of the elderly in the country.
This came during an engagement with Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla on the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa. Legislators are also set to review 21 other international legal instruments.
Ngwemphisi MP Bhekibandla Vilakati said that, if it were up to him, issues affecting the elderly would be addressed with urgency, particularly in the courts.
He said some elderly people, who never had access to education, were being abused through the unlawful seizure of their land. He added that some were taken to court without understanding the legal processes.
“Elderly people build their homes, live on their land and even have family graves there. Later, others come and claim that the land is for farming and evict them. The elderly lack power to tackle this and do not know where to turn. Government must protect them so they can remain in their homes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sigwe MP David Ngcamphalala highlighted that health facilities remained far for many elderly people, adding that transport was also a major challenge.
He wondered whether government had considered exempting the elderly from paying rates and electricity bills.
“More needs to be done to ensure proper care for them in communities. There should actually be a law that takes care of the elderly,” he said.
Madlangemphisi MP Allen Vilane sought clarity on the legal instrument, asking which treaty it falls under and at what stage Parliament becomes involved in such agreements.
He also enquired whether Parliament had the authority to review or revoke ratified agreements, or whether it is limited to approving or rejecting them.
Lubombo Regional MP Futhi Ngcamphalala said the commitment shown by the deputy prime minister should be sustained within the office.
She added that the legal framework was likely to be ratified soon.
She said they were already seeing the work done by the office and asked how long the ratification process would take, noting the need to domesticate the instrument to better support the elderly.
Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini said the instrument would address many challenges faced by the elderly, including the provision of adequate pensions and social security.
He noted that while the deputy prime minister’s office had introduced the elderly grant, there were concerns about its management, particularly regarding cases of double dipping.
Ntontozi MP Peter Ngwenya questioned why it had taken so long for the legal instrument to be presented to Parliament.
He also asked whether the protocol would help standardise elderly grants with those of neighbouring countries.
The minister said her office was responsible for protecting the elderly in terms of grants, while implementation was handled by the Ministry of Housing.
She said the legal instrument would assist in developing a comprehensive framework to address the challenges faced by the elderly.
Dladla said government was in support of increasing elderly grants but current financial constraints made this difficult.
She also raised concerns about individuals who were employed and earning well but still received the grant.
“The law will also address cases where people neglect their parents and children. These are among the issues that will be tackled through this legal instrument. We have submitted our instruments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and are awaiting submissions from other stakeholders,” she said.
