Stop exploiting the elderly, urges chief

THE Chief of the Ombalantu Traditional Authority, Oswin Mukulu, has appealed to young people not to deprive elderly relatives of their pension money.

Addressing a memorial service at Oshikulufitu village in the Omusati Region last week, the Chief said his traditional authority had been shocked to learn how the elderly are exploited in the region. He said pensioners who were too infirm to collect their pensions often asked younger relatives to collect the money for them.Instead of giving the money to the pensioners, the young people spent it on themselves.Chief Mukulu said people who made themselves guilty of this would be dealt with by the traditional authority.”We have noticed that many elderly people in the Ombalantu district of Omusati are dying because younger people are not taking proper care of them and they are left alone in their homesteads without food or blankets in this cold time and stay hungry,” Mukulu said.He said he would send village headmen and senior headmen to villages in his district to visit elderly people and monitor their living conditions.If the headmen found neglected pensioners who were not receiving their pensions, those who collected the money on their behalf would be stripped of that power, he said.We cannot continue allowing irresponsible people to receive old people’s money and eat it up, while old people are suffering.Please be informed that we are coming to check on old people in your houses and will see to it that they are well taken care of,” the Chief said.He said pensioners who were too infirm to collect their pensions often asked younger relatives to collect the money for them.Instead of giving the money to the pensioners, the young people spent it on themselves.Chief Mukulu said people who made themselves guilty of this would be dealt with by the traditional authority.”We have noticed that many elderly people in the Ombalantu district of Omusati are dying because younger people are not taking proper care of them and they are left alone in their homesteads without food or blankets in this cold time and stay hungry,” Mukulu said.He said he would send village headmen and senior headmen to villages in his district to visit elderly people and monitor their living conditions.If the headmen found neglected pensioners who were not receiving their pensions, those who collected the money on their behalf would be stripped of that power, he said.We cannot continue allowing irresponsible people to receive old people’s money and eat it up, while old people are suffering.Please be informed that we are coming to check on old people in your houses and will see to it that they are well taken care of,” the Chief said.