FREE STATE MEC VISITS FAMILY OF 87-YEAR-OLD WOMEN KILLED AFTER DRAWING SOCIAL GRANT

• The MEC for Social Development, Mathabo Leeto, visited the bereaved family today to offer condolences.
•  An elderly Free State women was allegedly killed in her home after withdrawing her social grant.
• MEC Leeto urged the community to join together to protect one another, particularly the elderly.

Communities in the Free State are being urged to stand together to protect the lives of the elderly. This comes in the wake of the stabbing of an 87-year-old woman in Phahameng, Bultfontein shortly after she withdrew her social security grant.

The Free State MEC for Social Development, Mathabo Leeto, today, 8 January 2025, visited the bereaved family, following media reports and community outrage over Mme Nonzenza Mtsi’s death.

Mme Mtsi was allegedly killed in her home on Friday, 3 January after being stabbed 11 times just after she had withdrawn her grant. The elderly woman was found the following day, Saturday, 4 January, by her great-grandchild.

During her visit, Leeto extended her heartfelt condolences to the Mtsi family and urged the community to stand in unity to protect the lives of elderly people. The MEC encouraged the community to look out for one another. “We, as believers, say that Jesus Christ is still the Lord, even in such situations,” she said.

“It is clear that the perpetrator who killed Mme Mtsi is not an elderly person but a young person. Although the perpetrator has not been arrested yet, we want the police to find this killer and bring them to justice,” Leeto added.

The MEC encouraged the youth in Bultfontein to work together to look after the elderly in the community, as they no longer had the strength to do so themselves.

The community should revive the “Phala” system, also known as the whistle system, where neighbours can alert each other of suspicious activities.

It was important to understand that older people did not necessarily want to live in old age homes. Often, they preferred to stay in the comfort of their own homes, especially when they can still take care of themselves.

Leeto emphasised the importance of neighbours looking out for one another and being aware of strange people roaming the streets.

She also told the community about the Department of Social Development’s Molo Makhelwane/Dumela Moahisane initiative, which seeks to bring back the idea of being a good neighbour.

An elderly person from the Bultfontein community asked what happened to Mphakathi, a community forum that used to deal with thieves and thugs around the community. The elderly person noted that when this forum was still active, crime was scarce in the community. They pleaded with the MEC to bring back uMphakathi in Bultfontein.

During her visit, the community also voiced concerns about a house that is occupied by thugs who smoke and use substances, noting that the police often passed by the house without inspecting it.

MEC Leeto promised to work together with other departments to ensure the safety of the community.

The MEC’s visit today was particularly solemn. Today, 8 January, marks 113 years since the formation of the African National Congress, but instead of celebrating its gains including the Freedom Charter which outlines the rights of all South Africans to peace, harmony and security, the day in Bultfontein was one of mourning the brutal death of a senior citizen.