Senior citizens reduced to begging
Food scarcity a harsh reality for older people below pension age
FRIDAY normally marks the start of a weekend and a time of relaxation and enjoyment. Yet, for many older citizens who are facing the reality of a life with little or no food, it simply means the day will be spent begging for small change.
Kholeka Witbooi has been waking up early every Friday morning for the past three years and preparing to walk the streets of the town begging for 20c and 10c pieces.
The 58-year-old has not yet reached pension age and said no one was willing to employ her for any kind of work.
“There are no jobs, we do not receive any grants, so that’s why you see us doing this.”
She said she makes about R10 a week, which only lasts her and her family for a day.
“The money is finished on the same day. No one can live on R10 a week. At some places we are given bread but there are five people who depend on this money.”
Mzwandile Moyikwa, 56, has been unemployed for more than 20 years and said his life turned sour after the factories in Ezibeleni closed down.
The father of four said he still dreams of the days when he used to earn a decent income some two decades ago.
“I used to work and provide for myself and family, now life is hard. I have a wife who is unemployed and my kids are still at home. We depend on the children’s grants.”
One of those in the queue is Robert Xashimba of Ezibeleni, who said going to bed on an empty stomach every day was one of the worst situations possible.
He said he had endured the pain of hunger with his wife for too long. “We are always hungry and in deep poverty. We have it tough. Sometimes the only thing on my mind is that I have not eaten anything for days – life is hard.”
A woman who did not want to be named said she sometimes only had water to drink before going to bed and that the children were greatly affected at school.
“The children will look at you in the morning before they go to school and there is nothing to give them for breakfast or lunch. It is a difficult situation to have to send a child to school knowing that they have not had anything to eat.”
According to the Lukhanji Integrated Development Plan, efforts to reduce poverty in the area remain extremely challenging, especially considering the high unemployment rate.