Action Society will be conducting oversight in the horrific assault case of an elderly woman. Last week a video went viral of a man brutally assaulting his grandmother in Kraaifontein in the Western Cape. He has since been arrested and is currently in custody. According to the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, he is charged with assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm as well as contravention of the Older Persons Act. The accused will appear before court for his bail application on July 12. Action Society’s call on the court is to deny bail, as the elderly woman is clearly still vulnerable to further abuse and says she fears for her life.
“We fully condemn the assault on the elderly and will be doing everything in our power to ensure she gets the justice she deserves. In recent years, we have seen how elderly people are increasingly victimised in horrifying abuse, rape and murders cases. Worryingly, these incidents tend to go unreported because more often than not, the perpetrators are family members. This needs to change,” said Head of Action Society’s Action Centre, Kaylynn Palm.
“Action Society is calling on all communities and organisations to do everything they can to ensure cases of elderly abuse are reported. We also need to ensure that more stringent measures are put in place to protect our senior citizens, and make perpetrators think twice before harming them,” concluded Palm.
