Mbete: Senior citizens must ‘school the young’ about accountable government

Baleka Mbete wants senior citizens to “school the young in holding your leaders accountable for open‚ honest government at every level”.

The speaker of the National Assembly said on Sunday that‚ with the local government elections imminent‚ “older persons who live in communities are alive to the day-to-day challenges on the ground and can play a role in turning the situation around”.

She was speaking at the launch of a national programme called “Digging into Dignity- Promoting Human Dignity at Home and Throughout Society”.

Mbete said the elder members of society could teach the youth to how elect a “government that stamps out corruption and protects the rights of every citizen to speak freely‚ to worship openly‚ to love whomever they choose”.

“As senior citizens you can ensure that women are no longer second-class citizens‚ that girls take their rightful places in our schools‚” she said in an address hosted by Ilitha Labantu‚ a Cape Town-based social service addressing violence against woman and children.

“As elders‚ you must continue to stand up and say that violence against women in any form‚ in any place — including the home — especially the home –is not just a women’s rights violation. It is a human rights violation. And it has no place in any society.

“I urge you‚ as senior citizens to exercise your right and turn out in your numbers to register and vote in the upcoming local government elections.”