By Zipho Ndwayana and Owethu Nokhangela
The South African Police Service (SAPS) Makhanda concluded its Women’s Month celebrations with a community outreach visit to MacKaizer Old Age Home on Friday, 29 August, donating grocery items to elderly residents.
The initiative reflects SAPS Makhanda’s ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable community members, particularly elderly women who have contributed significantly to society throughout their lives.
Constable Ntombekhaya Mcuwe, a sector manager, said the police chose to support elderly women because such opportunities are rare and demonstrate that older citizens remain valued and appreciated for their contributions to future generations.
“We are not only doing this because it’s Women’s Month and we feel the need to seem like we only care now,” Mcuwe said. She emphasised that the outreach forms part of year-round community engagement, with officers regularly seeking new venues for donations.
Sindiswa Koli, a caregiver at MacKaizer Old Age Home, welcomed the donation, saying such contributions benefit both residents and staff. “Through helping them, you are also helping us as caregivers, as their happiness makes us happy,” she said.
Koli noted that many elderly residents rarely receive family visits, making community initiatives particularly meaningful to them.
Resident Qondiwe Gladys Feni confirmed the impact of such visits. “Such visits bring me joy because we are used to being alone as the elderly to a point that we now treat each other as siblings, quarrel after quarrel,” she said. “So whenever we get visited, we even forget that we’ve fought and instead get too happy that we find ourselves shedding tears of joy.”
The event concluded with positive interactions between SAPS officers and residents, creating lasting memories for both groups and embodying the spirit of ubuntu that characterised the Women’s Month closing celebration.
