People with disabilities urged to aim for influential positions

Lawrence Chitumba Mash Central Bureau

People living with disabilities have been urged to take advantage of the Government’s directive to reserve a 30% quota for women in local authorities’ elections starting 2023 to challenge for appointments as councillors.

This comes as calls are growing for them to move away from the charity mode and participate in economic and political issues so that they move with the rest of the people towards the envisaged middle income economy by 2030.

The Department of Social Welfare has been changed to the department of Social Development which means tit is now development oriented to accommodate the vulnerable members of community.

Speaking during the handover of rice he donated to people living with disabilities in Bindura recently, Special Advisor to the President on Disability Issues Cde Joshua Malinga said it was time people living with disabilities engaged in life changing projects and not expect those not living with disabilities to plan and do everything for them.

“You should push for your development as people living with disabilities. Who is blocking you from being Members of Parliament or councillors? We have more than 6 000 people living with disabilities, you alone can make it possible,” he said.

“Government has declared that from 2023 onwards, 30% of councillors in local authorities should be women, so I task you to defy the odds and challenge for those council positions. At the moment, we don’t have disabled MPs but we have only two senators.

“Who amongst you has ever received a tractor? Does it mean that you don’t do agricultural activities? Did you receive farming inputs? Why didn’t you get them? That is the work of organisations for people with disabilities.

Cde Malinga said President Mnangagwa was a very listening president who did not want anyone to suffer segregation but who wanted people living with disabilities to move with the rest of the people economically and move away from the charity mode to a more self-sustainable mode.

He urged people living with disabilities to form committees from the provincial, district and village levels so that they could get into development issues.