Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
MOST public buildings including shops in Victoria Falls are reportedly not accessible to people with disability as they have no wheelchair ramps among other facilities.
Scores of people living with disabilities gathered at Cry of Africa Church in Mkhosana and Chinotimba Hall on Friday and Saturday and expressed discontent on being sidelined from some public services.
Victoria Falls Ward 11 Councillor Edmore Zhou organised the meetings following concerns by people living with disabilities.
People living with disabilities however commended TM Pick n Pay Supermarket for being the only shop with a wheelchair ramp in town.
They implored the municipality to construct side walkways along public roads around town as the roads are too narrow for those using wheelchairs or crutches to move without being hit by vehicles.
They also expressed concern over lack of a school for the disabled in Victoria Falls which they said denied children with disabilities the right to education.
In an effort to push for recognition, people with disability have formed the Victoria Falls Disabled Persons Association whose aim is to mainstream disability issues through equitable representation and advocacy.
The committee is led by chairperson Mr Stanford Mwela, Ms Sibangani Nyathi is the deputy chair, Ms Senzeni Precious Ndlovu is the secretary and deputised by Mr Vivian Mlambo, Mr Albert Tiriri is the treasurer while Mr Walter Ndlovu and Mr Blessed Gumbo are committee members.
“We decided to form an association to stop abuses and be able to raise our concerns. We have difficulty accessing some public facilities and if you are disabled you have to be accompanied to be able to enter a public place like shops.
Only TM Pick n Pay has a wheelchair ramp while others don’t have hence we are appealing to council and Government to intervene,” said Mr Mwela.
He said people living with disability are generally sidelined from developmental projects including allocation of housing stands.
Many, Mr Mwela said, are succumbing to various health conditions because of lack of access to primary healthcare including medicines and physiotherapy.
People living with disabilities also appealed to council to allocate land for them to start income generating projects.
Speaking at the Mkhosana meeting, Victoria Falls Mayor Cllr Somveli Dlamini said council is pushing for a deliberate policy to force companies to have a quota set aside for employment of locals.
“We want to make it mandatory for every business and company to employ 95 percent locals including people with disabilities. Preference should be given to those born and bred here and those who have lived here for a time long enough to make them residents.
“As for walkways and ramps, we have by-laws that speak to that and what’s needed is to enforce it. The council also has a two percent housing quota for people with disabilities but we want to push that higher,” said Cllr Dlamini.
— @ncubeleon
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