Cape Town: As various government departments work around the clock to put final touches to the Medium-Term Development Plan (2024-2029), individuals and organisations representing persons with disabilities have called on government and the private sector to prioritise education and employment opportunities. This, they say, is key to the realisation of the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in every aspect of South African life.
According to South African Government News Agency, this emerged on Monday in Cape Town as the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Ganief Hendricks, officially handed over a report of public hearings to the Western Cape MEC of Social Development, Jaco Londt. The ceremony was attended by over 90 people representing government and civil society organisations in the disability sector.
The report and the high-level action are a result of extensive consultations with individuals and organisations representing persons with disabilities during the development of the Draft Policy
on Social Development Services to Persons with Disabilities. The report argues strongly for government to invest in educational, capacity building, skills development, employment and funding opportunities for persons with disabilities. It further calls for the provision of and training on the use of assistive devices, including wheelchairs and hearing aids to ensure independent living.
The report is structured around the following province-specific thematic areas: mainstreaming, inclusivity and accessibility with the establishment of municipal advice offices to promote accessibility and inclusivity at the local level; education, capacity building, and skills development with scaled-up training programmes on assistive devices for persons with disabilities and caregivers; employment and socio-economic empowerment with proposed tax rebates for assistive devices and financial support for families promoting accessibility; and social development support services such as care and access to funding with the consider
ation of introducing differentiated disability grants and tailoring financial support to individual needs, ensuring equitable distribution.
The Deputy Minister quoted the 2022 census data, which estimates that there are 3.3 million persons with disabilities, constituting 7.5% of the South African population. He emphasized the importance of building a caring and inclusive society that enables persons with disabilities to thrive and contribute to society, underscoring that persons with disabilities are a large part of South African families and communities. Hendricks added that the high-level action presented in the report will be monitored regularly to ensure accountability and implementation by all provinces and key stakeholders.
Sharing her personal journey, Chaeli Mycroft, a South African ability activist and the co-founder and global ambassador of The Chaeli Campaign and Chaeli Foundation SA, highlighted the significant additional costs faced by individuals and families caring for persons with disabiliti
es, which are not currently met by existing social grants. Mycroft stressed the need for increased government investment in education and employment opportunities to help persons with disabilities live independently, as they face enormous challenges and risk a life of poverty and social exclusion.
The handover ceremony was officiated in sign language by Jabaar Mohamed, Western Cape Provincial Director of DeafSA, reflecting the true spirit of disability rights awareness. President Cyril Ramaphosa made sign language the 12th official language in South Africa last year. This was the first of nine reports that the Department of Social Development will hand over to provinces across the country as part of the National Disability Rights Awareness Month, observed annually from 3 November to 3 December. The campaign aims to educate the public about disability issues, take stock of progress, and celebrate the contributions of persons with disabilities in South Africa.