Council urged to prioritise PWDs
Fiona Mpofu
Bulawayo City councillors have been urged to include and focus on the needs of persons with disabilities ( PWDs) as part of their work in the next five years.
Sukoluhle Mhlanga, a disability practitioner and PWD secretary at Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), encouraged the local authority to desist from approaching PWD issues as charitable concerns and start viewing them as human rights concerns. She was speaking at a meeting of civil society organizations (CSOs) and newly elected councillors held in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
Mhlanga believes this can be accomplished through adopting the Bulawayo City Council Disability Policy and making sure that all people have equitable access to council programming.
“As councilors, you are service delivery cadres and I would like to see you mainstreaming us in your activities and working together with us to try and curb the challenges we face,” said Mhlanga.
She urged the councillors to ensure PWDs are represented in ward committees.
“PWDs have a right to be involved in all decision making processes. Participation addresses stigma and promotes awareness,” said Mhlanga.
She urged council to create a flexible budget that meets the needs of people from all walks of life including PWDs. She expressed concerns that previous budgets have excluded PWDs.
Mhlanga noted that PWDs also face accommodation challenges as some home owners are reluctant to accommodate them because they are deemed to be incapable of paying rent. She added that PWDs are excluded from the allocation of housing land and it is on this premise that she argued for PWDs to be allocated housing stands as specified in the Disability Policy.
“We expect the reviewing of council by-laws to be aligned to the disability policy,” said Mhlanga.
