Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has called on all South Africans to remain actively engaged in fostering the inclusion of people with disabilities.
She emphasised the importance of collective support across every sector of society to make disability inclusion a lasting priority.
The Minister was speaking at the launch of the 2024 Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) in Lenasia, on Monday.
“As we move through this month and beyond, let us all stay engaged, support these efforts, and encourage every sector of our society to make disability inclusion a permanent priority. Together, we are paving the way for a truly inclusive and accessible South Africa, where every person with a disability can thrive,” the Minister said.
This year’s DRAM which runs from 3 November to 3 December, is held under the theme “Celebrating 30 Years of Democracy: Creating a Disability-Inclusive Society for a Better Quality of Life and Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.
Chikunga extended her gratitude to the host, the Johannesburg Council for the Disabled, for the incredible work they have been dedicated to since 1995.
She said their commitment to providing a holistic, essential, and value-added approach to transform and uplift the social, economic, and professional lives of persons with disabilities has been exemplary.
“I was truly inspired when I was briefed on the range of services you provide, from social work and skills development to learnerships and enterprise development.
“We draw direct inspiration from the incredible amount of concrete measures that your institution has undertaken to champion the social, economic, spatial, and technological advancement of persons with disabilities,” Chikunga said.
Over the past 30 years, numerous policies, legislative instruments, and government programs have earned country recognition as a respected champion of the global disability inclusion movement.
The Minister said this was evident during the recent G7 Forum on Disability and Inclusion held in Italy.
“Disability inclusion is not merely a matter of advocacy; it is a constitutional imperative enshrined in our Bill of Rights. Over the past 30 years, we have embedded disability inclusion into various laws that comprise the country's legislative framework,” she said.
These include the recently gazetted Framework on Self-Representation, which has implications for the composition of Boards of State-Owned Enterprises; the National Strategic Framework on Reasonable Accommodation; and the Universal Access and Design Framework, with norms and standards for universal accessibility in the built environment.
All persons with disabilities have access to free basic education and any young person coming from a home with an income bracket of R600 000 receives free higher education through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
Further, persons with disabilities receive a monthly direct cash transfer to support their basic needs.
South African Sign Language is now recognised as the 12th official language in South Africa.
More recently, the President signed the Public Procurement Act, which mandates that a portion of government procurement be sourced from businesses owned and controlled by persons with disabilities.
During the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana revealed that “Public procurement accounts for about 19% of consolidated government spending, totalling R1.5 trillion over the next three years”.
“As a department that represents the interests and well-being of this community, we will ensure that as the Treasury develops the regulations, priority is given to the work of institutions like the Johannesburg Council for the Disabled and others who are engaged in facilitating income-earning and productive opportunities for the community of persons with disabilities,” the Minister said.
As government launches Disability Rights Awareness Month, the Minister called on individuals to reflect on the status of persons with disabilities globally, across the continent, and within our own borders.
“This reflection is essential to evaluate where we have been, where we are, where we still need to go, and how we should measure progress in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities. The answers to these questions are crucial for the inclusive formulation of policies and legislative instruments, as well as for the co-design of our priorities and interventions,” she said. – SAnews.gov.za
