He called for the return of love and compassion for senior citizens, saying it is important in the building of the nation.
The President said this during the 10th annual Jacob Zuma RDP Education Trust Senior Citizens' Christmas Party at Mnyakanya High School, KwaNxamalala, Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal.
"We are always delighted on this day where we show our love and compassion for our senior citizens. We remind them that they are very important and that from them we learn many things every day. They are important resources of the history of their families and that of the nation," said President Zuma.
The party hosted more than 5,000 senior citizens from Nkandla and surrounding areas as well as other parts of KwaZulu-Natal, including Ladysmith in the Midlands and Port Shepstone in the south coast.
President Zuma handed the senior citizens Christmas gifts that included blankets, food packages and a Christmas cake, while a variety of their favourite music artists successively shared the stage.
He was joined by Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, Deputy Minister Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dlomo, as well as Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Cyril Xaba and Ethekwini Mayor James Nxumalo.
SAnews.gov.za is a South African government news service, published by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). SAnews.gov.za (formerly BuaNews) was established to provide quick and easy access to articles and feature stories aimed at keeping the public informed about the implementation of government mandates.
Go to: http://www.sanews.gov.za
