Statement by Marlene Ewers MPL – DA Shadow MEC for Social Development:
The Eastern Cape Department of Social Development has admitted that the Silver Crown Old Age Home in East London is operating from a building never designed for older persons. Social Development MEC Bukiwe Fanta has now confirmed that the facility’s infrastructure is not fully compliant.
Silver Crown is a state-run facility in Kugompo City (East London). There is no NPO service-level agreement in place, meaning the frail elderly residents rely entirely on the Department for proper care, safe living conditions, and decent food. However, the Department has fallen short, food complaints have persisted, and the facility’s conditions are deteriorating.
In response to a parliamentary question from the DA, MEC Fanta confirmed that concerns at Silver Crown include poor food service and cooking, deviations from the original menu, food-handling issues, and portions residents consider inadequate. The Department has already issued a breach-of-contract notice to the service provider.
MEC Fanta also admitted that Silver Crown operates from a building that was never designed for older persons, stating that there are insufficient toilets and bathrooms for residents, and that the facility has no examination room, sick bay, or waiting room. These defects were identified, but planned upgrades could not proceed because of budget constraints.
Despite this, MEC Fanta claims no management failures have been identified, no complaints have been lodged against the facility manager in the past two years, and no action has been taken on structural defects because the responsibility lies with Public Works.
It is shocking that frail older persons, who have contributed a lifetime to this province, are expected to accept these conditions.
I will be writing to the chairperson of the portfolio committee on Social Development to request an immediate independent investigation into conditions at Silver Crown, including infrastructure safety, food quality, nutritional adequacy, and complaint handling. I will also ask that a professional nutritional assessment be completed within 14 days and that the Department be called before the committee to provide a clear, costed plan with timelines to bring the facility into compliance.
The DA will continue to pursue this matter until there is accountability and corrective action for the residents of Silver Crown. Our elderly residents deserve dignity, safety, and proper care, and the people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers accountability, compassion, and honest government.
Chasm Face
3. to be injected with the AIDS virus for a slow death.
So the German said, \”Shoot me right in the head.\” Boom, he was dead instantly.
Then the Italian said, \”Just hang me.\” Snap! He was dead.
Then it was Van der Merwe turn , and he said, \”Give me some of that AIDS stuff.\”
They gave him the shot, and Van der Merwe fell down laughing. The guards looked at each other and wondered what was wrong with this guy.
Then Van der Merwe said, \”Give me another one of those shots,\”so the guards did. Now he was laughing so hard, tears rolled from his eyes and he doubled over.
Finally the warden said, \”What\’s wrong with you?\”
Van der Merwe replied, \”You guys are so stupid…..
I\’m wearing a condom.\”
low voltage
So I\’m real good friends with this guy named Juan Ted. Now, Juan is a pretty incredible guy. He can steal ANYTHING he wants to. Literally anything. It could be the shirt off your back, the wallet in your pocket, or I\’m even sure he\’d find a way to steal your house (And your spouse too). So anyway, one day Juan and I are sitting around watching TV, and they announced that the hope diamond will not be on display anymore and is now getting moved to an undisclosed location. So as we hear this, Juan says \”I\’m gonna steal it\”. Now I know how good Juan is at this kind of stuff, so I just tell him good luck and he goes on his way. Eventually he narrows his search down to a small cave in South Africa. When Juan gets there, he doesn\’t see any guards or anything outside the cave, so he just walks in assuming he was wrong about where the diamond was. He wanders around for a while until he sees a long lit hallway with the hope diamond at the end of it. Confident in his abilities, he strolls over to the diamond and picks it up before realizing its a trap! Suddenly, red lights flashed, armed men came running out, sirens went off. You could hear one of the men say under his breath \”We finally caught Juan Ted.\” But Juan, being the best thief in the world, said \”Not quite. On the count of three, I will disappear.\” As the men looked around confused, Juan began to count. \”Uno. Dos.\” And he disappeared without a tres.