Date: 10/05/2005
Source: The Presidency
Title: Zuma: Launch of poverty alleviation and job creation project for disabled, Mzingazi Computer Centre
Address by Deputy President Jacob Zuma at the launch of the Mzingazi Computer Centre, a poverty alleviation and job creation project for people with disabilities, Mananga Heritage Centre, Richards Bay
Programme Director
Acting Mayor
Directors and Business Executives Present
Councillors
Traditional leaders
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is an honour and a privilege for me to be with you today, as we launch a poverty alleviation and job creation project for people with disabilities. This is an important project since it happens at the time when we are only a month away from the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, which declared that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it."
The launch of this project confirms that the South Africa that we are busy building truly belongs to all who live in it, including the people with disabilities. That vision of the Freedom Charter also guides us as we proceed with transforming our country to ensure that all who live in it enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities and full citizenship. Like any other citizen, people with disabilities enjoy equal rights and equal treatment before the law. The South African Constitution guarantees and protects those rights.
We are aware that while we have made many strides improving the conditions faced by people with disabilities, we still face some challenges that we need to deal with urgently. Key among these is the challenge of changing the attitudes of our society when it comes to people with disabilities. The general public must understand that having a certain disability does not mean incapability at the level of thinking and performance.
While we have achieved a lot when it comes to putting policies and structures in place, we now have to deal with the issue of ensuring that the implementation of these policies is further accelerated.
We need to accelerate the speed and pace of delivery of these policies for the disabled persons. We also cannot be happy that there are more people with disabilities who receive state grants; therefore it is imperative that we speedily move towards ensuring that people with disabilities receive gainful employment so that they will not be dependant upon these grants.
This launch shows that the government and business care about the plight of persons with disabilities. This is just one of many projects that we are launching as we did last year with the Nawe Zifunze Project also specifically focussing on people with disabilities. This launch also underlines the importance of private-public partnerships that exist between business, communities and government.
The results of this project are already showing with the training of sixty disabled people since its inception. These people had no previous knowledge of computers, but are today empowered with computer skills and I trust they will also help to empower others. It is also a viable and self-sustaining project.
The launch of such a project also provides all of us with an opportunity to reflect on what we have done in the past 11 years since our liberation with regards to the empowerment of disabled people.
These past 11 years have seen some fundamental changes taking place in our country to ensure that people with disabilities regain their self-respect and confidence.
As government we can say without hesitation that the past decade has seen some major achievements in ensuring that people with disabilities feel themselves to be equal citizens of our country.
The opening of the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP), in 1997 by the President was a major development in the history of our country. Its mandate was to create an enabling environment that will lead to the full participation and the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities at all levels of South African society.
The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons is also tasked with driving the process of implementing laws and guidelines that will protect people with disabilities. It is located within The Presidency and reports directly to the Minister in The Presidency and the President about the work that is being done and obstacles that are met along the way. There are also similar offices that have been established in the Premiers' offices across the country.
Our policies on disabled people act as a yardstick for many developing countries, and are internationally acclaimed. Our Integrated National Disability Strategy ranks among the best in the world for its progressive outlook and nature.
We have gone beyond the stage of policy formulation and are presently progressively implementing the policies that we have developed.
We have made huge advances, especially at a policy level. We do not believe that we have left anything out in making sure that our policies are geared towards protecting and promoting the interests of people with disabilities.
Some of the key laws that we have implemented which have been hugely beneficial to people with disabilities include the Employment Equity Act, the Skills Development Act and the Labour Relations Act which are landmark acts when it comes to people with disabilities.
These laws ensure that companies and businesses need to employ people who are disabled, and if those companies do not comply with the set guidelines and regulations developed by the Department of Labour, they run the risk of being exposed and heavily fined by government.
Once people with disabilities are employed it is also the responsibility of those companies to ensure that their working conditions are conducive, in terms of ensuring that buildings and infrastructure are available for easy access of disabled employees.
The laws also empower watchdog organisations and individuals to monitor closely whether companies adhere to these policies. If companies do not respect our policies people are empowered to report malpractices to the Department of Labour.
The laws that we have spoken about ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are protected whilst at the same time they open labour market opportunities for them.
Among some of the achievements that we have scored in the past 11 years of our freedom is that we have extended the access to disability grants for disabled people. The number of disabled people who are benefiting from these grants has increased enormously for both children and adults.
We have also ensured that there is free health care for people with disabilities, who qualify. At the level of housing we have also made some major strides by introducing special housing subsidies for people with disabilities.
Our government is also mindful of the fact that there are disabled people with entrepreneurial skills and talents hence we have also made sure that their business initiatives are supported through the preferential procurement policies where public sector tenders give preference to companies of the disabled people.
We need to commend and congratulate the companies and businesses that continue to play a role in ensuring that people with disabilities are empowered and afforded opportunities to compete with every person in our society.
We thank all those who have given generously for the success of this project. We urge business to strengthen and expand its role in the development of our people, particularly those trapped in the second economy.
Business will need to define what its role will be in the development of those in the second economy, and what interventions it will make towards ensuring that this backward part of our economy is developed so that the majority of our people who are still locked within it will also be developed.
We will need to see some viable strategies that deal with this issue to ensure that the integration of these two economies takes root. In doing so we will also have to answer the question of what is it that we can do to uplift disabled people who find themselves within the second economy.
During our second decade of our freedom we must do all in our power to ensure that the challenges that I have mentioned above are dealt with decisively, so that all who live in our country will feel that this country truly belongs to them.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Zanele Mngadi
Cell: 082 781 9332
Issued by: The Presidency
10 May 2005
Source: The Presidency
Title: Zuma: Launch of poverty alleviation and job creation project for disabled, Mzingazi Computer Centre
Address by Deputy President Jacob Zuma at the launch of the Mzingazi Computer Centre, a poverty alleviation and job creation project for people with disabilities, Mananga Heritage Centre, Richards Bay
Programme Director
Acting Mayor
Directors and Business Executives Present
Councillors
Traditional leaders
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is an honour and a privilege for me to be with you today, as we launch a poverty alleviation and job creation project for people with disabilities. This is an important project since it happens at the time when we are only a month away from the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, which declared that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it."
The launch of this project confirms that the South Africa that we are busy building truly belongs to all who live in it, including the people with disabilities. That vision of the Freedom Charter also guides us as we proceed with transforming our country to ensure that all who live in it enjoy equal rights, equal opportunities and full citizenship. Like any other citizen, people with disabilities enjoy equal rights and equal treatment before the law. The South African Constitution guarantees and protects those rights.
We are aware that while we have made many strides improving the conditions faced by people with disabilities, we still face some challenges that we need to deal with urgently. Key among these is the challenge of changing the attitudes of our society when it comes to people with disabilities. The general public must understand that having a certain disability does not mean incapability at the level of thinking and performance.
While we have achieved a lot when it comes to putting policies and structures in place, we now have to deal with the issue of ensuring that the implementation of these policies is further accelerated.
We need to accelerate the speed and pace of delivery of these policies for the disabled persons. We also cannot be happy that there are more people with disabilities who receive state grants; therefore it is imperative that we speedily move towards ensuring that people with disabilities receive gainful employment so that they will not be dependant upon these grants.
This launch shows that the government and business care about the plight of persons with disabilities. This is just one of many projects that we are launching as we did last year with the Nawe Zifunze Project also specifically focussing on people with disabilities. This launch also underlines the importance of private-public partnerships that exist between business, communities and government.
The results of this project are already showing with the training of sixty disabled people since its inception. These people had no previous knowledge of computers, but are today empowered with computer skills and I trust they will also help to empower others. It is also a viable and self-sustaining project.
The launch of such a project also provides all of us with an opportunity to reflect on what we have done in the past 11 years since our liberation with regards to the empowerment of disabled people.
These past 11 years have seen some fundamental changes taking place in our country to ensure that people with disabilities regain their self-respect and confidence.
As government we can say without hesitation that the past decade has seen some major achievements in ensuring that people with disabilities feel themselves to be equal citizens of our country.
The opening of the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP), in 1997 by the President was a major development in the history of our country. Its mandate was to create an enabling environment that will lead to the full participation and the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities at all levels of South African society.
The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons is also tasked with driving the process of implementing laws and guidelines that will protect people with disabilities. It is located within The Presidency and reports directly to the Minister in The Presidency and the President about the work that is being done and obstacles that are met along the way. There are also similar offices that have been established in the Premiers' offices across the country.
Our policies on disabled people act as a yardstick for many developing countries, and are internationally acclaimed. Our Integrated National Disability Strategy ranks among the best in the world for its progressive outlook and nature.
We have gone beyond the stage of policy formulation and are presently progressively implementing the policies that we have developed.
We have made huge advances, especially at a policy level. We do not believe that we have left anything out in making sure that our policies are geared towards protecting and promoting the interests of people with disabilities.
Some of the key laws that we have implemented which have been hugely beneficial to people with disabilities include the Employment Equity Act, the Skills Development Act and the Labour Relations Act which are landmark acts when it comes to people with disabilities.
These laws ensure that companies and businesses need to employ people who are disabled, and if those companies do not comply with the set guidelines and regulations developed by the Department of Labour, they run the risk of being exposed and heavily fined by government.
Once people with disabilities are employed it is also the responsibility of those companies to ensure that their working conditions are conducive, in terms of ensuring that buildings and infrastructure are available for easy access of disabled employees.
The laws also empower watchdog organisations and individuals to monitor closely whether companies adhere to these policies. If companies do not respect our policies people are empowered to report malpractices to the Department of Labour.
The laws that we have spoken about ensure that the rights of people with disabilities are protected whilst at the same time they open labour market opportunities for them.
Among some of the achievements that we have scored in the past 11 years of our freedom is that we have extended the access to disability grants for disabled people. The number of disabled people who are benefiting from these grants has increased enormously for both children and adults.
We have also ensured that there is free health care for people with disabilities, who qualify. At the level of housing we have also made some major strides by introducing special housing subsidies for people with disabilities.
Our government is also mindful of the fact that there are disabled people with entrepreneurial skills and talents hence we have also made sure that their business initiatives are supported through the preferential procurement policies where public sector tenders give preference to companies of the disabled people.
We need to commend and congratulate the companies and businesses that continue to play a role in ensuring that people with disabilities are empowered and afforded opportunities to compete with every person in our society.
We thank all those who have given generously for the success of this project. We urge business to strengthen and expand its role in the development of our people, particularly those trapped in the second economy.
Business will need to define what its role will be in the development of those in the second economy, and what interventions it will make towards ensuring that this backward part of our economy is developed so that the majority of our people who are still locked within it will also be developed.
We will need to see some viable strategies that deal with this issue to ensure that the integration of these two economies takes root. In doing so we will also have to answer the question of what is it that we can do to uplift disabled people who find themselves within the second economy.
During our second decade of our freedom we must do all in our power to ensure that the challenges that I have mentioned above are dealt with decisively, so that all who live in our country will feel that this country truly belongs to them.
I thank you.
Enquiries: Zanele Mngadi
Cell: 082 781 9332
Issued by: The Presidency
10 May 2005
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