1. HON. Members, many organisations are not doing enough to prepare for the loss of institutional knowledge. Strategies must be developed to ensure continuity and to plan for knowledge transfer.
2. HON. Members, generally this loss occurs when senior employees retire.
3. Today, the Minority Front acknowledges the wealth of institutional and indigenous knowledge that seniors possess and this has contributed richly to the development of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. Our older and more experienced workers and retirees can still serve as mentors and trainers by passing their knowledge to others within an organisation. This retention method will make specialised training a further contribution, as South Africa needs to improve its Innovation Index. The undertaking of workforce assessments by organisations to identify critical knowledge held by senior existing employees can further mitigate knowledge loss.
4. The mushrooming of senior citizens clubs and the assistance of national treasury for those above 80 members, has changed the social landscape of this large group of South Africans by improving their quality of life.
5. Our senior citizens should be mindful that there is still life after 60 years by re-setting goals, they can re-energise themselves by embracing and trying new things and take the opportunities available to them.
6. HON. Members, the Minority Front has assisted more than 1000 senior citizens in terms of funding for their ventures, empowerment, health, sports and recreation events. Such  help has empowered them to move from the informal NGO sector to becoming formalised.
7. In this way, the Minority Front has also assisted senior citizens to practise good governance in terms of accountability which is required by King Code iv.
8. It is the Minority Front’s view that more senior citizens must be part of umbrella bodies in KwaZulu-Natal to enhance their efforts to move from the informal to the formal sectors.
9. HON. Members there is no substitute for experience. This is the invaluable asset of our senior citizens, who can still be gainfully self-employed making a business out of hobbies and further contribute to the economy of our country. The most important contribution of our senior citizens, is their sane voice when emotions flare up; and inspiring a voting culture, thereby showing leadership depth to foster nation building and social cohesion in South Africa’s young democracy.
10. Thank you.

Mrs. Sabitha Harrichandparsad

Minority Front Delegate