Mbabane – The Municipal Council of Mbabane has launched an Elderly Community Support Programme aimed at extending social assistance to older residents and other vulnerable people in the capital.
The programme was launched on Friday, 4 September 2026, at the Msunduza Social Centre in collaboration with and under the guidance of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
More than 200 elderly residents from Msunduza attended the inaugural programme, where they received public health screening, care and treatment services, as well as a meal. 
The initiative follows a call by Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla for local authorities to strengthen support for elderly people, persons with disabilities and other disadvantaged members of society.
The council said the programme was introduced to ensure that vulnerable residents in urban communities are not overlooked by social support initiatives.
Mbabane Mayor Thulani Mkhonto said the council already provides daily meals to about 1 200 children through its social centres and distributes food parcels to some vulnerable families.
“We also recognised that our daily feeding program has largely focused on children, and there is a need to extend our support to older persons as well. By introducing this monthly cooking initiative for the elderly, we are taking another practical step towards addressing poverty and ensuring that vulnerable residents of our city are not left behind,” he said.
Dladla said urban poverty remained a growing concern and that older people were among those affected.
“We must recognise that poverty affects people in our cities too, including older persons who are often among the most vulnerable in our communities. This monthly cooking initiative is an important step towards ensuring that our elderly citizens are not forgotten and that we continue to find practical ways of supporting those who need it most,” she said.
The inaugural gathering was led by Dladla and attended by Minister of Housing and Urban Development Apollo Maphalala, Mbabane East Member of Parliament Welcome Dlamini, Mkhonto, the council’s Chief Executive Officer, Indvuna Yenkhundla, community leaders and other stakeholders.
The new programme builds on Mbabane’s existing network of nine social centres, which provide assistance to vulnerable residents, particularly children, as part of the council’s poverty reduction efforts.
The Msunduza Social Centre normally provides meals to about 150 children each day, while the council’s nine centres collectively reach approximately 1 100 children daily.
Social centre volunteers and Community Health Care Volunteers support the running of the facilities and assist children and families in their respective communities.
The council said extending the programme to elderly residents recognises that food insecurity and social isolation affect people across different age groups.
Older people living in vulnerable circumstances can also require assistance with basic needs, opportunities for social interaction and support to remain active within their communities.
The council, working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, plans to turn the initiative into a regular programme, with elderly residents expected to receive a meal at least once every month.
The monthly gatherings are also intended to give older residents an opportunity to meet, share experiences and strengthen social ties within their communities.
As Mbabane continues with its existing support programmes for children and other vulnerable groups, the council said it had chosen to respond to the Deputy Prime Minister’s call by giving greater attention to the welfare of elderly residents.
