Premier Mabuza gives a house to a 105-year old gogo

Premier Mabuza gives a house to a 105-year old gogo

A Barberton gogo, Julia Madonsela, celebrated her 105^th birthday in style yesterday [Sunday, 05 July 2015] when she received a three bedroomed house with furniture and other goodies from Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza.

During her birthday celebration held at Umjindini Township Community Hall, a quiet and wheelchair ridden gogo Madonsela was seen hand-fed and cared for by her granddaughter as other 75 elderly people who were above 90-years old joined her.

The elderly were treated to live entertainment by a popular gospel group, Masibuyele KuJehova, and further received blankets and groceries from Premier Mabuza.

Gogo Madonsela lived in a dilapidated one-roomed house, which the Premier rebuilt and extended it thereby adding two more bedrooms, a lounge, dining room and a kitchen through his DD Mabuza Foundation. The house also has a built-in toilet and a bathroom.

Speaking at the packed ceremony, Premier Mabuza reiterated that the elders should not be sent to the old age homes, but should care for by their families as they were important pillars in building strong families.

“We should not send our elderly people to the old age home, in our culture when we do that, we are chasing them away. The elderly should play their role in our families because they are a moving encyclopedia, ours is nothing but to take care of them.

“These days, there is a gap between the elderly and young people, we are disjointed, and we need the elders to play their role, they must stand the ground, tell the truth whether it’s nice or not, because we need to get our identity from them as people,” said Mabuza.

He said some young people did not have respect for other people, and such they needed to learn from the elders.

Premier Mabuza further complimented the elderly people especially those who lived in the farms like gogo Julia Madonsela, for their role in the fight against “oppression” saying they resisted and brought freedom to the people of South Africa.

“These people had been oppressed throughout their lives, they lived in the farms like dogs in their country, all what they left for us are that, they resisted, fought back and gave us freedom we are enjoying today. It was their decision to make South Africa a better place.

“We owe it to them by being united and stop this hate we have for one another. Today African people do not love one another, if we are not united; there is nothing that we can do. If you look at gogo Julia Madonsela, she looks like she does not have anything, but she is rich inside, we need to tap into their knowledge and be blessed like her and live long,” said Mabuza.

Mabuza said although South Africa had obtained political freedom, it was still not free economically. Political freedom was necessary for everybody; therefore nobody should threaten other people’s freedom by disrespecting their rights.

“The war is still not over yet, we should continue fighting for people like gogo Julia Madonsela, but we should not behave as if some of us will live in this world forever. Personally I will continue fighting for the people like her, I know that I always walk next to my grave, one day it will open up, and I will move in, but even those who are threatening to kill me, they will die too one day,” said Mabuza.