Cape Town - Residents and organisations in Bonteheuwel, Bishop Lavis and Heideveld are up in arms over the closure of three old-age homes in their areas.
The residents staged a protest in front of Nerina Place in Bishop Lavis on Monday, calling for the immediate recall of the forced removal of the residents.
The Cape Peninsula Organisation for the Aged (CPOA) indicated last month that it was closing down Nerina Place, Lilyhaven Place and Oakhaven due to financial pressure caused by Covid-19, coupled with a loss of income as pensioners awaited the pandemic’s outcome.
The organisation said despite the Social Development Department subsidies they had accumulated losses amounting to R265 million in the past 10 years.
Pastor Wesley Moodley, from the Bishop Lavis Religious Forum, said there was no broad consultation with the community and this had left residents of the home traumatised and confused.
“Uprooting these elderly residents is inhumane and violates their basic human rights to safety and security as well as affordable housing. After years of contributing constructively to society, this is how they are now repaid. Not even the board members of those facilities were consulted,” he said.
Moodley called for the audit of the CPOA books, to bring closure to the situation.
“They are just saying that money has been lost and there is not enough funding and that they ran a loss in the last 10 years. Any organisation will have to look into it to say where the loss has gone and what was the result of the loss.
“Having an audit will help the organisation show what went wrong and bring closure to the situation. To say they have ran out of money over a certain period of time is not enough,” he said.
Community activist Roegchanda Pascoe said: “Our elderly people have shaped this country, we owe that much to them. They are the people facing bullying in their homes and have to raise great-grandchildren because of the drug pandemic and HIV in our communities. This is the vulnerable group that is always left out.”
ANC MPL and leader of the opposition, Cameron Dugmore, said the removal of any senior citizens in level 3 of the lockdown must be put on hold until the matter has been discussed in Parliament.
“CPOA has fancy places in Sea Point and in Constantia and there is no problem with those facilities. Why must places be closed now in Bonteheuwel, Bishop Lavis and Heideveld because people don't have as much money?”
“It's either (that) Social Development has to give more money so that the facilities can be open or, if CPOA can't manage the situation, we have to look at other ways to manage it so that people can remain in the facilities,” he said.
The CPOA did not provide comment by time of publication.
Cape Argus