As part of her activities for Social Development Month, Deputy Minister of Social Development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu is performing several community engagements today at the Mawewe Tribal Council in Mgobodzi, Mpumalanga.
In collaboration with the MTN SA Foundation, Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu will provide a multimedia center to the Mawewe Community Centre.
The media center’s connectivity will be free for 24 months, at MTN’s expense.
“The transfer is part of an established Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the Department and the MTN SA Foundation. According to the Department of Social Development, the centre will provide community people with access to instructional content and learning materials to improve their computer abilities.
The Deputy Minister will observe International Day for Older Persons at Mawewe Community Centre on Saturday.
The International Day of Older Persons is observed annually on October 1 and is a significant occasion to honor the lives of our senior citizens while highlighting the opportunities and problems that ageing provides.
“The elderly have traditionally been treated in high regard and granted particular social position in African culture. They are a reservoir of knowledge that shapes who we are and who we desire to be. “According to Statistics South Africa’s mid-year population predictions for 2021, approximately 9.2% (5.51 million) of the population is at least 60 years old,” the department stated.
The topic for this year’s commemorations is “Resilience of Older People in a Changing World.”
“In South Africa, families rely on older relatives for everything from caring for grandchildren to providing much-needed household money. In honor of the day, the Deputy Minister will organize a meal for the senior citizens of Mgobodzi village, according to the department.
On Sunday, Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu will attend a service at the Mgobozi Holiness Church in the community of Mgobodzi.
The Deputy Minister will take this opportunity to remind and encourage the Faith Bases organization to submit their documentation to the NPO registration in order to be compliant.
This engagement is based on a webinar the Department delivered two years ago to notify non-profit organizations about their imminent deregistration for non-compliance.
The month of October has been designated as Social Development Month, and the Department annually promotes significant government programs that strive to combat poverty and build a caring society for all.