Maseru, April 23 — The elderly petitioned the Ministry of Gender ,Youth and Social Development to the portfolio committee on social cluster about the method of payment of their pensions through electronics. They want the ministry to pay them by hand at their centres.
Deputy Principal Secretary Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development, Mr. Thae Makhele said electronics is the way to go global.
Explained that hand paying delivering the money is costly to the Ministry because they had to pay for accommodation for servants and members of Lesotho defence Force.
They have huge debts with people who provided services of accommodation, indicating that now they are going to work with elderly to address their challenges because they are the ones who know how best to solve them.
An elderly Mr. Philip Mafaesa says the Ministry does not respect their rights, they have forced the method on them.
He explained the method has challenges since where they live there are no such services, if money is there is not enough and it has high chargers.
He stated since they are not digitally wise their grandchildren or people who assist them rob them, adding that the ministry has not yet sent the money after deleting them.
He said the Ministry should return to the first method of giving them money by hand.
Member of committee, Mr. Remaketse Sehlabaka said due to the laws that govern money the ministry is not allowed to withdraw money exiting M30,000 from the bank moreover it put servants at risk of being hijacked even to money laundering and theft.
He showed that the world is changing to a money-less method to fight services therefore they learn how to use some of the systems.
ENDS/MM/tl
