The Grahamstown branch of the South Africa Police Services (SAPS) honoured the recent Mandela Day by visiting senior citizens at old age homes around Grahamstown.
The Grahamstown branch of the South Africa Police Services (SAPS) honoured the recent Mandela Day by visiting senior citizens at old age homes around Grahamstown.
The SAPS took time off duty to visit McKaizer Old Age Home, where they handed out gifts in the form of toiletries and portions of cake to the senior citizens of the centre. McKaizer has the oldest senior citizen in Grahamstown at the age of 102.
Afterwards, SAPS member and opera and gospel singer Sisa Nomana was on his toes producing beautiful notes and entertaining the elderly masses. This was prior a visit to the Makanaskop Old Age Home in Extension 4 and to Ethembeni Old Age Home in Joza in the afternoon, where they were warmly received by the elderly.
"The deeds were part of Mandela Day celebrations and the elderly were excited, especially when they received the gifts from us," said Warrant Officer Albie Julius. SAPS feels that the municipality should support such initiatives that inspire the elderly in community. "It was a blessed experience, I got my satisfaction from doing my own job but we felt sad for some of them," reflected Constable Varensha Visagie. Visagie said the experience convinced them that they are not forgotten in society.
The SAPS is involved in a number of community engagement projects such as a pre primary safety awareness programme, where learners are given safety tips. "We love what we are doing and what we wish to do for the community out there and we plan to have more programmes alike" said Visagie.
Visagie said that such projects will not only benefit the SAPS but the broader community as a whole, so local businesses are urged to offer sponsorship to such initiatives. With such initiatives the SAPS would like to counteract community crimes but urges the community to help them in helping the community.
