Venk-pac International Week of Aged launched in Verulam

By Marimuthu Subramoney
More than 1 000 people, mainly the elderly and the aged, enjoyed a day of fun and entertainment at the official launch of the Venk-pac International Week of the Aged in the V J Kara Hall at the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre on Sunday, October 2.
The elderly were brought to the centre in special buses from KwaMashu, Phoenix, Tongaat, Stanger, Verulan and surrounding areas.
The event, organised by the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre, was sponsored by Mr Ricky and Mrs Shamala Naidoo of the company, Venk-Pac.
The elderly were treated to song, dance, and drama by some senior citizens. The entertainment items included a "Senorita Dance" by members of the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre; a traditional Zulu dance by the Satellite Club; and a sugar cane cutter's dance sequence by Mr Ganas Sunny of Tongaat.
Some of the special guests who attended the occasion included Mr Sunny Subban, a former chairperson of the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre; and Mr Ken Rajoo, president of the Verulam Child and Family Welfare Society.

Public Protector
The guest of honour was the CEO in the office of the Public Protector, Mr Themba Mthethwa, who represented the Public Protector, Ms Thuli Madonsela.
In his speech, Mr Mthethwa praised the Verulam Day and Frail Care Centre officials and the sponsors for their work in promoting the quality of life of the elderly and the aged.
"Without the goodwill of sponsors it would be very difficult to take care of all the needs of the elderly," said Mr Mthethwa.
He gave a detailed account of the work of the Public Protector and said the Public Protector was constituted to investigate all forms of maladminstration, abuse of power, abuse of state resources, and corruption in all state departments, and state entities such as Eskom, SABC, Telkom, Water Boards.

Corruption
The Public Protector also had the power in terms of the constitution to investigate the conduct of the Executive, which included the President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Premiers, and MECs.
Mr Mthethwa said the Public Protector tackled all forms of complaints, including concerns expressed by senior citizens regarding poor service delivery at the hands of organs of state.
"Recently, the Public Protector embarked on a two months stakeholder consultation road show, where she criss-crossed the country, interactiong with a lot of ordinary people, including older citizens.
"It is clear from these interactions that older persons still grapple with a lot of service delivery issues and others that are unique to you," he said.
He told the senior citizens that if they encountered poor service delivery, lack of proper conduct or corrupt practices at the hands of state organs, then they must lodge their complaints with the Public Protector.
"In the event that you do not get joy from these institutions, our office will be there to assist you.
"Our ultimate goal is to strengthen constitutional democracy by promoting good governance, adherence to human rights and respect for the rule of law. This will help us realise our ideal of an accountable state that operates with the highest level of integrity while being responsive to the needs of its entire people, including the children."
Mr Mthethwa warned that if South Africans failed to tackle corruption "then our children will leave the country because in a matter of time we would have depleted our resources".
"We have to ensure that our country becomes less corrupt. It's a joint effort both by the citizens and the state to ensure that we become less corrupt," said Mr Mthethwa.