New research has revealed that elderly people in townships, especially women, are subjected to systemic elder abuse, mainly perpetrated by their children and grandchildren.

The research by Ikamva Labantu shows that economic abuse is most prevalent, particularly the exploitation of pension money.

Neglect and violence against the elderly have also been highlighted as a huge problem, but it often goes unreported.

The findings were presented during an event yesterday, where the Social Development MEC Jaco Londt gave the keynote address.

He says the research is of grave concern.

“We welcome this groundbreaking research by Ikamva Labantu because it enables the public to see how grave this issue is. The Western Cape Department of Social Development steps in whenever it receives reports of elder abuse and provides support services to Older Persons.”

“However, reduced funding from the National government has led to a reduction in the kind of services that can be provided. Whilst the Western Cape is continuously fighting to get our fair share of the national budget to have a broader safety net, it is more important than ever before for us to work with NGOs to find better ways of safeguarding the most vulnerable members of society.”

The research finds women are abused more frequently and experience a wider range of abuse compared to men.

The study emphasised the vulnerability of older people in townships due to their socio-economic status and the loss of traditional respect for elders.

Abuse is often co-occurring and this study reported, among other forms, serious neglect and systemic abuse.

Substance abuse was the most frequently mentioned risk for elder abuse, specifically tik and alcohol use, which was associated with extreme violence against older people. Both unemployment and living in multigenerational households increased the risk of elder abuse.

Elder abuse is under-reported and seen as a taboo topic, with older men less likely to report abuse due to fear of repeat victimisation.

Older women are perceived to be more vulnerable, and significantly more likely to experience sexual abuse, including sex trafficking and incestuous rape, as well as spiritual abuse, particularly those with dementia who are accused of witchcraft.

Women more frequently experience economic abuse and unwanted parental burden for grandchildren, resulting in them being relatively more impoverished.

The research evaluated existing protection, social, justice and health services to address elder abuse and assessed the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of services.

The study acknowledges budget constraints but generated a set of recommendations for civil society and government to address the gaps in services and improve the response to elder abuse.

Recommendations include increasing public awareness and empowering older individuals to know their rights, promoting older people’s participation in communities, and strengthening government responses to elder abuse.

The participants’ suggestions for service improvement included: queue management, increasing the deployment of social workers, ensuring the availability of service centres or clubs, and investing in protection services to ensure compliance with policies.

Lulama Sigasana, Ikamva Labantu’s Older Persons Programme Manager, says the research sheds some much-needed light on the hidden challenges faced by older people in the townships and the normalisation of abuse.

“Our seniors told us they are ‘forgotten’. They have been politically marginalised with little priority and urgency placed on their needs in comparison to other vulnerable groups.”

“We are pleased that the research found our senior clubs to be a vital form of social protection for our cherished elders, providing them with respite from abuse, empowering them with knowledge of their rights and facilitating healing family interventions.”

“But there is much more that needs to be done. These unique findings help us to advocate for improved services and enhance support to uphold the principles embodied in the constitution. We believe a multistakeholder approach is needed to tackle elder abuse. We call for civil society organisations and government institutions to work with us in communities so that together we can alleviate the suffering of our elders.”

This qualitative study used focus groups with 83 participants over 60 years of age with equal gender representation, and 18 interviewees representing civil society organisations, the South African Police Service (SAPS), and the Western Cape Departments of Health and Social Development.

The research by Ikamva Labantu was done in collaboration with The Association for the Aged (TAFTA) and the University of Johannesburg to assess the understudied area of elder abuse in the townships of South Africa.