Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
LOCAL authorities and service providers in Gwanda have been commended for making significant strides in incorporating people with disability (PWDs), a development which has been attributed to continued engagement in the implementation of policies that have been put in place by the Government to mainstream disability issues.
Speaking recently during a roundtable meeting between PWDs, duty bearers and stakeholders from Gwanda Mr Pick Nkomwa who is the director of Nkomwa Foundation Trust said it is pleasing to see that stakeholders have taken action following previous engagement meetings.
“This is a follow-up meeting from the previous year’s engagement on issues that affect persons with disabilities in Gwanda urban and I’m glad that we have seen a positive response from service providers although there is still more work that needs to be done. It’s important to note of the positive strides made by local authorities and stakeholders in Gwanda as a result of continuous engagements with them.
“We have seen the inclusion of PWDs in crucial processes like the budget consultation process for both urban and rural councils. Stakeholders and government ministries are now extending their meeting invitations to PWDs. We have also seen the inclusion of PWDs representatives in the Mayors Advisory Board and there is an improvement in refuse collection which also affects PWDs,” he said.
Mr Nkomwa appealed to the service providers to address some gaps which include inaccessible public infrastructure especially those that house key services. He said the cost of residential stands and vending stalls remains a barrier for persons with disabilities
Mr Nkomwa said other gaps include the absence of a disability desk in local authorities, attitudinal barriers by service providers, discrimination against PWDs in the community and water challenges.
During the meeting PWDs and guardians of PWDS shared concerns that they would like to be addressed by service providers and authorities.
Parents raised concerns over the absence of educational and vocational facilities which can accommodate children with disabilities. PWDs also called for the employment of PWDs in Government departments, local authorities and institutions at the local level.
Gwanda mayor, Alderman Thulani Moyo said the local authority has intensified efforts in incorporating PWDs and the first step was incorporating a representative in the Mayor’s Advisory Board. He said this will guide the municipality on how best to mainstream disability issues and address existing gaps.
“As a municipality, I believe we have made significant progress from where we started and are on course in implementing policies on disability issues. We are trying to incorporate PWDs in every aspect of service and we have said in every process the voice of PWDs should be included. No consultative process should be done without a representative of PWDs. We have signed MOUs with disability organisations guiding us in our implementation process. We have made sure that we reserve a share for PWDs whenever we allocate stands,” he said.
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