Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
FIFTY people living with disabilities in Matabeleland South Province have received grocery hampers and personal protective equipment (PPE) from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.
Beneficiaries received cooking oil, sugar, powdered milk, mealie-meal, flour, washing soap, bath soap, dish washing liquid, sugar beans, salt, tea leaves, petroleum jelly and toilet paper as well as face masks and hand sanitisers.
Speaking at the handover of the goods, Potraz director general, Dr Gift Kallisto Machengete said the regulatory authority understood the difficulties which people with disabilities were going through especially during the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.
“As Potraz we endeavour to uplift lives of vulnerable groups and strive to build sustainable livelihoods for marginalised sections of our society. As you are all aware the Covid-19 pandemic has made it extremely difficult for communities to sustain themselves economically since the global lockdowns started thus thrusting many into poverty,” he said.
“It’s in this regard that Potraz through its corporate social responsibility programme is assisting those most affected by Covid-19 in our communities.
“The beneficiaries were identified by the Ministry of Public Works, Labour and Social Welfare through their district offices. We hope this donation will help ease the plight of the beneficiaries and loosen the additional strain brought upon them by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Dr Machengete said the regulatory authority has so far donated to the underprivileged in seven provinces in the country. He said they were set to move to Manicaland, Bulawayo and Harare Provinces.
He said they had assisted by donating Braille equipment, special computers for people with special needs, food hampers, groceries, kitchen equipment and renovating buildings.
Dr Machengete said Potraz has also been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at combating the pandemic such as donating rubbish bins. He said they have also continued to roll out Community Information Centres (CICs) in order to ensure communities had access to accurate information on the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the same event Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Cde Abedinico Ncube expressed gratitude towards Potraz for the donation.
He also urged the regulatory authority to address issues of network challenges in the province as they left many greatly disadvantaged.
“In light of Vision 2030 information communication technology is the backbone of socio-economic transformation in this era of the digital and knowledge driven economy. As we embrace devolution it’s of paramount importance that our people have access to information and technology so that they can participate in the building of our economy,” he said.
“Matabeleland South is largely a rural province and most of our districts are lagging behind in terms of access to telecommunication services. Our communities end up losing touch with pertinent Government projects and development issues because of poor network coverage. I therefore appeal to the Potraz leadership to address these challenges,” he said.
A beneficiary Mrs Kelumetsi Moyo from Gwanda who uses a wheelchair said assistance from Potraz had come at a time when they needed it the most. She said with Covid-19 it had become extremely difficult for some people with disabilities to move around.
Mrs Moyo said the hampers will go a long way in easing burdens within households. — @DubeMatutu
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