The Mpumalanga provincial government is embarking on a campaign to identify people with disabilities to benefit from accessible and safe housing.
Human Settlements spokesperson in the province Freddy Ngobe says the department will partner with various stakeholders to ensure that all people with disabilities have access to adequate, accessible and safe housing.
"Past discrimination disparities and imbalances against people with disabilities continue to affect service provision to individuals and as a department we are determined to remove these imbalances," said Ngobe.
The department, he added, will create a provincial database of qualifying people with disabilities during the next financial year.
"People with disabilities are excessively and unfairly represented in all spheres of life, this leads to a variety of social problems including accessibility to houses," he said.
He added that accessible housing is essential for people with disabilities to live independently and have self-directed lives in their communities. The information collected during the campaign will be analysed to determine the housing needs of people living with disabilities in the province.
All municipalities will conduct their individual surveys to determine the logistical issues. The campaign will be launched at Bushbuckridge Local Municipality as part of activities for the Disability Awareness Month.
Enquiries:
Bongani Mlangeni
Tel: 012 421 1409
Cell: 082 885 3378 or 073 525 3107
Issued by: Department of Human Settlements, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
11 November 2009
