South Africa may be ageing as a society – but we can live better, longer

What do Olympian Wayde van Niekerk’s spritely coach, Tannie Ans and theatre legend Dr John Kani, have in common with actor Jackie Chan and media mogul Oprah Winfrey? They’re all 65-years and older. Can you believe it? It goes to show how many among our generation of retirees are not as “elderly” as we might think. They are vivacious, active and contribute to society in effective ways. Of course this is not true for everyone of this age. But it could be encouraged. The good news is that we will see more and more of our inspiring older generation in the next few decades. World Health Organisation statistics tell us that the world’s population over 60 years will nearly double from 12% to 22% by...