House Chair,
Honourable Minister,
Honourable Members,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Chairperson,
Looking back, we can agree that we have made progress in our task to strengthen collective action towards the realisation of the rights of people with disabilities as equal citizens, even though we could have done better.
The finalisation of the baseline Country Report on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in April 2013 has provided us, for the first time, with a comprehensive platform from which we can measure progress, set targets aimed at improving outcomes of our collective efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Chairperson,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the disability rights movement, parents of children with disabilities, disabled people individually and collectively, government across all three spheres, state owned enterprises, institutions of higher education and training, Parliament and the Chapter 9 and 10 institutions for their contributions in making this report a reality.
The (African National Congress) ANC led-government has done well in putting in place reasonable accommodation measures that unlock opportunities for people with disabilities, remove barriers to participation, enable self-representation, and facilitate access.
To name but a few examples:
- Taxpayers are able to claim tax benefits for all disability-related costs incurred. We call on all tax payers who have not made use of this measure, to visit their nearest SARS offices to register for this significant benefit, and in particular parents, guardians and care-givers of children with disabilities.
- Voters with visual impairment are now able to vote in secret, unassisted, following the development of a universal ballot template (UBT) by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in partnership with the South African National Council for the Blind.
- The Reserve Bank ensured, by following a participatory consultative process with disabled people organisations, that the Mandela bank notes have special features to ensure accessibility for people with visual impairment.
The ANC in its 2009 Manifesto set out five national priorities to which we remain committed. We gave life to these commitments through action-driven projects focusing on investing in the empowerment of people with disabilities.
We call on South Africans with disabilities to ensure that they participate effectively in the ANC Manifesto development processes to ensure that the 2014 - 2019 Manifesto has better articulated disability specific priorities and outcomes.
Chairperson,
Economic independence for the majority of South Africans remains elusive. Access to finance is but one of the many obstacles faced by entrepreneurs, and disabled entrepreneurs are no exception.
My appreciation therefore goes to the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) that has funded Vuka Academy Driving School, owned by a disabled entrepreneur, and intended to facilitate access to driving for those with mobility impairment currently operating in the Free State and Northern Cape.
We believe and trust that more funding will be made available so that this project can expand to other provinces since access to transport remains a dream for the majority of disabled people.
Organisations such as the Medunsa Organisation of Disabled Entrepreneurs (MODE), the Disability Workshop Development Enterprise (DWDE), and the Work4You Social Enterprise, to mention but a few, have all developed expertise through innovation and forging partnerships in developing the entrepreneurial and productivity skills and capacities of people with disabilities across the impairment spectrum.
The R50m disability grant allocated by the IDC and the expertise acquired by these organisations could go a long way in easing the burden to economic empowerment for entrepreneurs with disabilities if they join hands.
Chairperson,
Allow me to congratulate institutions such as the Athena Private FET College and the South African Disability and Development Trust (SADDT) that have both formed partnerships with SETAs and companies such as Woolworths, Waltons, Makro, the Foschini Group, the Southern Sun group and rural municipalities in skilling young people with disabilities “even those in the deepest rural areas” through learnerships and placements, enabling these companies to exceed their set equity targets.
As one of the beneficiaries, Sizakele Mdladlana from Khayelitsha, a wheelchair user, says: “I am a tax payer, I have my own house, got married and proudly take care of my own family.”
Chairperson,
There is ability in disability that is, if you define us according to our disabilities. In ensuring that disabled people with their God given talents benefit and contribute to the Mzansi Golden Economy as announced by Minister Mashatile, we facilitated and supported the establishment of an agency called the Gifted Stars “It’s your time to shine”.
Gifted Stars will grow into a one–stop shop for any talented disabled person to knock and access opportunities, as well as for industry to find talented disabled persons. This Agency will cater for amongst others: Acting, Broadcasting, Literature, Dancing, Singing and Art.
Honourable Members,
We would all agree that education remains a crucial weapon to liberate people from oppression. The same is true for people with disabilities.
To accelerate that reality we engaged institutions of higher education and training to create an enabling environment for students with disabilities through:
- the facilitation of the establishment of disability rights units,
- the development of disability policies,
- the inclusion of disability in diversity programmes, and
- the consolidation and the establishment of HEDSA.
We further ensured that there is a review of the NSFAS funding guidelines for reasonable accommodation support to students with disabilities, especially as it pertain assistive devices as well as personal assistance. We call on all students to familiarise themselves with the new guidelines and ensure their adherence.
Chairperson, Hon Members,
It has never been the belief of the ANC led-government that we could solve the social challenges faced by South Africans alone, hence “together”, as we realise our goal of working together, it gives hope to every South African.
In the words of Chaeli Mycroft-
“Hope is what keeps us going, it’s what keeps us striving for the lives we deserve. I have hope for myself, but I also have hope for all other children with disabilities. I hope that my actions as an ability activist will leave the world more accepting and more accommodating for all people and not just people with disabilities, because we are all different and we all have the need to be accepted regardless of having a disability or not."
These are the same words of hope echoed by the children at the Pontsho disability centre in Khureng village, Lepelle-Nkumpi Municipality in Limpopo. Today, they play and learn in a new state of the art centre built for them, instead of the shack they were cramped in.
The children and their parents had hope that one day their dream of decent safe facilities will become a reality.
Our thanks goes to Mutual and Federal, the SA Breweries, ABSA, Defy, Nestle, Mr Price, the Alimdaad Foundation and the many other local businesses that demonstrated that together we can turn hope into reality as we did in Khureng.
Armed with the same commitment to make dreams become a reality through partnerships, Konica Minolta, MTN and Neotel ensured that a fully accessible computer laboratory equipped with all access related hard and soft ware became a reality for the students of the University of Limpopo.
In the same vein the Sive School for the Deaf today stands proud with well trained teachers, a functioning library, a renovated school and boarding facilities after being included in the MNet Cares Naledi Literacy Project.
Hope is what the women of Gombani, a deep rural village in the Mutale Local Municipality in the Vhembe district of Limpopo had.
Today they are making bricks and constructing their own houses using the hydro-foam alternative construction technology made possible through a partnership by MTN, PPC Cement, Lafarge, Siyazama, coordinated by the IDT, and supported by Karen Khula, a woman-owned construction company, as well as SAWIC for technical assistance and quality control.
A better life has arrived and women are doing it for themselves.
Chairperson,
Hope for children with intellectual and mental disabilities and their families is at times a distant dream, but we are changing this through partnerships.
The learners at Forest Town School, supported by teachers who believe in them, PPC Cement and other private sector donors have made it possible for a bakery, confectionery, coffee shop, beauty salon and ICT repair centre to be established for all those over the age of 16 to acquire labour market skills, rather than go home to nothing.
We handed over these facilities with pride knowing well that even though they have intellectual disabilities, they will be contributors to the economy of the country and not mere beneficiaries of social services. We call on government, SETAs, SOEs, parents, communities and captains of industry to give them a chance by continuing to support them.
Honorable Members,
South Africa stands proud among nations on many issues, and disability rights are no exception. With the signing and ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, we are beginning to give effect to articles such as Article 32 on International Cooperation.
With the support provided to a number of disabled people from other African countries, we have witnessed the goodwill of our African people who have turned hope and a dream of the young Nigerian girl, Adeife Adenaran, into reality.
Through her book, “Can you imagine?”, as well as the Adeife Adenaran Trust, we have collectively managed to raise sufficient funds and pledges during the recent State visit by President Jonathan, for the construction of a school for visually impaired children in Nigeria.
Financial and technical support from the UN family in 2013/14 will enable us to integrate disability-specific indicators into the country wide Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation system, to complete the legislative audit and to strengthen disability data management instruments in StatsSA.
Chairperson,
As we move forward, the road to disability inclusion, mainstreaming and integration is a long and winding one. But slowly and surely we have hope that we will get there.
19 years later, people with Albinism continue to experience discrimination in the language we use, medical and cosmetic exclusions, assistive devices and them not being disabled enough to benefit from any opportunities or services available to disabled people.
For the first time ever, South Africa will convene an African Conference on Albinism, bringing together: Linguists and the medical industry amongst others to address the challenges faced by people with Albinism.
Despite Chapter 1, Section 6 of the SA Constitution that gives effect to the recognition of Sign Language as the first language for deaf people and empowering the State to put in place relevant measures, we have thus far not done much.
This year, working hand in hand with the Department of Arts and Culture and PanSALB, we will start the process of recognising Sign Language as the 12th official language as directed by the President.
In conclusion, Chairperson, Honourable Members,
We have set the standards to which we can all rise, with the understanding that each finger affects the strength of the whole hand, and that the things that break our hearts are the very things that open them.
Working together, hand in hand, step by step, creating an inclusive, caring and barrier-free society for all.
I thank you!
