Thursday July 13 was not just an ordinary day for the members of Movers Seniors’ Club in Gugulethu.
It was a day they entertained themselves and reminisced about their younger days – and enjoyed a lunch at Ikhaya Labantu in Gugulethu.
The aim was to have some leisure time and forget about their daily challenges.
Laughter and applause was the order of the day as the grannies shared hilarious life stories and jokes about their different upbringings.
They said the harsh reality was that they were facing countless challenges and often had little or no time at all to unwind and socialise.
They told Vukani that they held the event to celebrate everyone’s birthday since their children and grandchildren often didn’t wish them or give them gifts.
They used the day to empower and advise each other about ways to deal with some of the problems they faced at home.
The organisation’s chairperson, Sylvia Yoyo, said the organisation was the place where they poured out their hearts about the problems they encountered at home.
She also pointed out that they were at a stage in their lives that they wanted to feel loved and appreciated by their children and grandchildren.
However, she said, many seniors were being abused by those who were meant to love and protect them.
They launched the organisation in 2003, she said, with the aim of providing a platform to talk openly about issues affecting them and keep themselves occupied. Back then they had nine members, but that has grown to 30.
Members described the organisation as a healing place, while Ms Yoyo pleaded with young people to change the way they treated vulnerable seniors.
She said the reality was that the older one became, the more care one needed.
Ms Yoyo added that it was important for senior citizens to participate in various activities so that they kept their bodies healthy. For this reason, the club involves seniors in knitting and sewing activities, food gardening and various sporting codes.
She said last year they flew to Limpopo to participate in a musical competition and came home with a trophy.
“This organisation is a home away from home. Here we are united family and we tackle every challenge together,” she said.
One of the founding members of the organisation, 88-year-old Sylvia August, said she was pleased that the organisation was still in existence after so many years and that her only wish was that it would continue to exist for many more years.
