GENERAL
Page 4 People’s Post Mitchell's Plain
Tuesday 19 July 2011
A FRIENDLY HAND: Gadija Basardiens (87) talks about memorable days gone by while volunteer Rehana Majal lis tens intently. Photos: Andre Bakkes
SINGING TO HER HEART’S CONTENT: Stella Wolhuter (85) makes up for her lack of eyesight with a singing voice that moves the world.
ON THEIR TOES: “Domino convener” Amien Nieftagodien (80) plays dominoes with some of the residents on a regular basis.
Wellwishers provide a silver lining ANDRE BAKKES
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EARLY every morning the angelic voice of 85-year-old Stella Wolhuter fills the halls of Beit-ul-Aman Home for the Aged. “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, we are so blessed and contented, everything’s coming our way,” she sings. Her uninhibited proclamation is contagious, and soon everyone within earshot hums the tune to themselves. The 72 residents have been given a chance to live out their golden years in relative comfort. Most of these frail residents are of the Islamic faith, so the home is run on Islamic principles, though it prides itself on being multi-cultural. Beit-ul-Aman has been serving the community since 1979, and was initially created to provide specialised care for Muslims in particular, since there wasn’t a similar place for poorer seniors to go to. Thirty years later and the home is still the only facility of its kind in the Western Cape. As a result, the demand for residency is high, so the representatives of the home have
Smooth sailing THE internationally-acclaimed sailor and polar region adventurer, Skip Novak, will be giving a special talk on sailing and adventuring in polar regions and the effects of global warming in the Antarctic, prior
to first do house visits to see if there isn’t any other alternative for the person seeking accommodation. “We don’t want to be a dumping ground,” says Naadir Agherdien, the current chairperson of the board. “In our community there is a strong feeling that there shouldn’t be old age homes, since the family must take care of them, but these days it is difficult. Some even forget about our elders.” Living life in the fast lane has its drawbacks – the most tragic of these is that many families can also not give the necessary care to its oldest members. The options for those who need special care is very limited, especially if they are Muslim. While Beit-ul-Aman receives a monthly grant from the Department of Social Development, it mostly relies on donations from the general public to help make ends meet and keep its doors open to those in need. Their operational costs alone are more than R1 million rand a year, so these donations are essential for the running of the haven. “The average shortfall for operational expenses comes to about R80 000 or R90 000 a month,” says Agherdien, before adding that they have to raise the money themselves by
to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s AGM on Thursday July 21 at the SPCA, corner of 1st Avenue and First Road in Grassy Park. The talk will start at 13:30, followed by the SPCA AGM at 15:00 and light refreshments will be served. Booking is essential. Contact Claudia on (021) 700-4157/41 for further information.
DIAL-A-RIDE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WORKSHOP ON 30 JULY 2011 Notice is hereby given that a public participation workshop will be held on 30 July 2011 to discuss the Dial-a-Ride public transport service for the Cape Town area. The City of Cape Town is appealing to all persons with disabilities to participate in the review of its business plan for this service. In accordance with the City’s policy of participative, democratic and co-operative governance, Dial-a-Ride users have a say in how the service is run. Dial-a-Ride is a demand-responsive public transport service, provided in terms of a commercial service contract, and funded by the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Administration of the Western Cape. The main focus of Dial-a-Ride is to provide an accessible transport service to those persons who cannot access mainstream public transport as a result of their special needs. Should you wish to comment, raise any concerns or attend the Dial-a-Ride workshop please contact Zanele Mabengeza at Zanele.mabengeza@capetown.gov.za or tel 021 400 2579 by 25 July 2011 to reserve your place. Details of the workshop are as follows: DATE: 30 July 2011 TIME: 10:00 – 14:00 VENUE: Woodstock Community Hall, cnr Aberdeen and Main Roads, Woodstock ACHMAT EBRAHIM CITY MANAGER
having at least one fundraising event a month. The next fundraiser is a golf day in October, a popular event and a highlight on their calendar. In 2009 the home very nearly had to close its doors, since the economic downturn saw donations drying up. The Oasis Crescent Fund Trust intervened not a moment too soon, and stepped in to make a generous donation of R1 million. This ensured that the home could build up a reserve of funds, but they are always in need of help from the community. Agherdien says many old age homes have not been completely fire-compliant, so after one home was ravaged a few months ago, all were ordered to bring in sweeping changes. They must now become compliant by the end of July or August, which means they must dip into that reserve fund. It will set them back about R300 000. This is just a once-off payment, but their biggest expense is for adult nappies. All of this just serves as extra motivation for their valiant sponsors, who will undoubtedly come to the home’s rescue once again, says Agherdien. Its dependence on the private sector is the
lifeblood of the home, since companies have to date not followed the sterling example set by Oasis or the well-wishers within the community. Funds are, of course, not the only thing the residents need. Some of them have no family to speak of, and become desperately lonely. Volunteers come in to keep them company, but there is always space for more. On 1 July superintendent Zulphaa Hassen was appointed, but apart from her, the staff is almost solely made up of contracted volunteers. “The need for volunteers will continue, but they can’t run the place. So there is a need for qualified personnel to address the residents’ needs. Now with Zulphaa, most of this will be managed and we will run the place better,” says Agherdien. On Mandela Day (yesterday July 18), Islamic Relief sent 10 doctors to the home to hold a health programme, and do some muchneeded exercises with the residents. Agherdien says he cannot thank donors enough, but in the same breath he implores everyone who can lend a hand to step forward and make a difference. Contact Beit-ul-Aman on (021) 761-1540.
Festive lunch on the cards THE Simon of Cyrene Anglican Church in Acacia Road in Parkwood Estate will be hosting a “Christmas in July” luncheon on Sunday 24 July at the Hyde Park Hall in Hyde Road.
The event is due to start at 12:45 for 13:00. The cost is R95 for adults and R45 for children under the age of 12. For more information, contact the parish office on (021) 705-6138.
Licence-seekers not keeping appointments HANRIE BOSCH
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HE City of Cape Town’s traffic department is appealing to residents to honour their learners and driving licence test appointments. In May alone, 2 050 applicants failed to honour their driving licence test appointments, while 1 810 applicants did not honour their learners licence test appointments. Kevin Jacobs, spokesperson for Cape Town Traffic Services, said that in recent years the waiting period has reduced, with some areas having a waiting period of two weeks and others about three weeks. “We can completely wipe out this waiting period if people can honour their appointments, or cancel in advance.” Jacobs says the major reason people don’t show up for their appointments is that they have not had enough time
to prepare for a test. An applicant who misses a test date or time will forfeit all fees and have to re-submit a new application. “Now that a learners licence is valid for 24 months, there is really no need to miss a test. “It is also not compulsory to take the first available date when making an appointment, and applicants are allowed to request a later date if more time is needed to prepare,” said Jacobs. The City has 18 Driving Licence Testing Centres across Cape Town, and applicants are not restricted to applying at a centre where they reside – they may access any testing centre to secure a booking. “We appeal to residents to please assist us in using the Driving Licence Testing Centres optimally in order to fully address the needs of residents across the city,” said Jacobs.