ADDRESS BY PREMIER
Master of Ceremonies,
Chairperson of Vukuzenzele
Project for the Disabled
Mr. Johannes Mahlangu,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen I greet you all.
It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me on behalf of the entire Provincial Government to be part of this august gathering to witness and to launch Vukuzenzele Project for the Disabled.
Launching this project at this time is very important because it directly follows the Human Rights Day, which was celebrated on the 21 March 2000 at the Mayflower Community Stadium and the Freedom Day, which will be celebrated on the 27 April 2000 at Kwaggafontein.
It is for me a very historic occasion, an occasion that will always be remembered because it comes in a month that five and a half years ago people with disabilities were amongst the first to queue, to cast their vote for democracy and freedom on the 26 April 1994.
It is encouraging and fulfilling to see people with disabilities rising above all odds and challenges and systematically asserting themselves positively for the development of Kameelrivier and the entire Province.
This confirms truly that people with disabilities do not need pity, shame and handouts but rather opportunities for integration and social participation in all spheres of life.
Therefore it is imperative that Government cooperate with Organisations of people with disabilities to address their issues.
Ladies and Gentlemen unemployment remains a fundamental challenge affecting the majority of people with disabilities and their families and the entire Government.
We need to strive for economic emancipation of all of us in the province. Vukuzenzele becomes an example for all of us, that we can eradicate poverty and unemployment by creating our own jobs without being dependant on other people.
This is a most sustainable way of realising economic growth. However, we need to acknowledge that we will definitely need support through training, coaching and mentoring on running our enterprises most effectively.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I talk of enterprises, I talk of business and therefore I hope that an institution such as Vukuzenzele should be run and managed on business principles because that is the only way we can create sustainable employment opportunities.
We will liaise with the Department of Economic Affairs' SMME Desk and ask them to extend their expertise to you. Master of Ceremonies, the challenge for empowering and facilitating the equalisation of opportunities remains enormous.
It is indeed a road that we will all have to be part of and I am impressed to see Vukuzenzele Project becoming our leaders in this long journey.
We are encouraged to see mutual relationship and cooperation between the Department of Social Services and Population Development, Department of Health and the project.
This is because the group benefited from the Poverty Alleviation budget of the Department of Social Services and Population Development and that the Department of Health has been rendering services to the project including health inspection.
This is the type of partnership that we would like to see continuing, strengthened and replicated in other parts of the province.
Poverty, hunger, malnutrition and starvation are an enemy to mankind. As long as people are still subjected to this, there will be very limited development.
This implies that as long as children are still underfed, hungry and starving they will not be able to learn in school as expected of them.
That as long as we still have areas that are developed and advanced and those that do not have anything there will be very little or no improvement at all.
As long as people with disabilities are still subjected to hunger and poverty, we will continuously have no empowered sector of civil society.
Master of Ceremonies, I am delighted to mention with great joy that at the sitting of the Provincial Legislature on the 09 March 2000 in my budget vote I have committed the entire Provincial Government including the Office of the Premier to the following processes that I think will contribute to the upliftment of people with disabilities;
That we will revise MAP 2000 and ensure that it is streamlined and present a new strategy that will assist in facilitating the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
This initiative will give support and meaning to initiatives such as the ones of Vukuzenzele Project of the Disabled. It is envisaged that the strategy will have specific targets and time frames and enable Government to coordinate its functions in delivery its mandate.
We have also committed ourselves to eradicating negative attitudes, perceptions and mindsets within the Public Service and in Civil Society.
Hence a Public Education and Awareness Strategy on Disability will be released to meet this need. This strategy will assist us in building a user-friendly society that is centred on the principles of dignity and respect for human rights as enshrined in the Constitution.
We have further committed ourselves to creating an enabling and supporting environment for children's development including those children with disabilities.
The Office on Status of Disabled Persons in the Office of the Premier together with other Departments and structures of Civil Society has at current developed a programme of action to deal with Early Childhood Development.
Efforts are being made in facilitating resources to implement the strategy. I have acknowledged the fact that 80% of children with disabilities are currently out of school and that immediate interventions have to be put in place to deal with this situation.
It is my believe that we need to urgently intervene to ensure that there is adequate access for children with disabilities to education.
I have noted with concern at your submission when you were inviting me to come and launch the project.
I have also had an opportunity to look at the report compiled by the Health Inspector of this area that the environment in which the project operations are taking place is not conducive and that there is a need to upgrade the facilities.
We will do all in our powers to support you in your development and what is most important now is to refer this matter once more to the Department of Social Services and Population Development for further assistance.
We will also assist in exploring other possible solutions to address this situation.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at the beginning of my deliberation I alluded to the celebrations of the Human Rights Day held on the 21 March 2000 in Mayflower.
I wish to indicate that during this day we have issued out 40 wheelchairs to people with disabilities in this area.We hope that with this provision that people with disabilities will be able to go to school, work and participate in normal life.
It is my commitment that we will do all in our powers to ensure that dignity amongst people with disabilities is restored. Freedom day is just a few days away from now, and that celebrations will be held in this region at Kwaggafontein. I wish to extend an invitation to all people with disabilities, families, neighbours and communities in this area to attend the celebrations.
Let me further note that we will be privileged to have during this celebrations with us our Honourable President Mr. Thabo Mbeki. I would like to call upon the community leaders in this area to support people with disabilities in their contributions to development.
That the communities refrain from perceiving people with disabilities as mere recipients of charity and pity but as equals who would like to participate in the development of the province and make a difference. This is indeed confirmed by Vukuzenzele Project for the Disabled that we are launching today.
Master of Ceremonies, I want to take this opportunity to declare the project launched. This is an enterprise that creates employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, which is definitely in line with the declaration of the Presidential Job Summit.
Shall we all join hands in wishing this enterprise a success. Sonke thina abantu be Mpumalanga ma si Vukesizenzele!!
I thank you!