Issued by: Office of the Presidency
15 July 2002
As the country prepares to celebrate women's day with the aim of honouring the strides our women have made, one of our leading female activists passed away suddenly on July 12, with the majority of our citizens being unaware of who she is, of the life she lived and of the immense contribution she has made. Her name was Maria Rantho and she was a warrior who dedicated her life to promoting equality for people with disabilities.
The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons (OSDP) in the Presidency wishes to extend our heartfelt sympathy to Maria's family, friends and comrades who mourn her passing. Director of the OSDP, Sebenzile Matsebula says, " Maria Rantho was a fearless, dedicated and passionate proponent and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities in South Africa and worldwide. She was a leader in the struggle for the recognition, respect and promotion of rights of disabled persons. Her death is a loss to her family, to the disability movement and to the nation at large.
South Africa could not have achieved its successes on the promotion of rights for disabled persons without her commitment and tenacity. Her efforts spanned the nation and the region as a whole. In due course they spanned the world"
Maria Rantho is a woman all South African citizens should have pride in. A qualified nurse, Ms Rantho became a wheelchair user after being involved in a car accident. The inequality she experienced as a person with a disability spurred her on to fight against the oppression of people with disabilities in society. She later became the chairperson of Disabled People South Africa, an organization that was formed in the 80's to work towards the full participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in society.
When asked about the formation of DPSA in an interview last year, Maria Rantho explained, " We felt that there was a need to create a voice of our own, where we would, for the first time, be able to advocate for our own rights." Ms Rantho spearheaded the drawing up of the first disability charter and was pivotal in the initiation of the Disabled Women's Development Programme, which aimed to address the specific discrimination that women with disabilities faced. She was also a member of the ANC's women's league. In 1995, Maria was responsible for heading the disability desk in the Restructuring and Development Programme (RDP) situated in the then Deputy President's office, which later became known as the OSDP.
When South Africa moved to a democratic state in 1994, she was the first and only Member of Parliament in the national legislature who had a disability. She struggled to work in an environment that was designed without any consideration for the access of persons with disabilities.
Maria was a very strong fighter and the physical, attitudinal and other barriers that she faced never deterred her from her commitment to serve disabled people. Last year Maria stated," When I went to Parliament, disability was not on the agenda of Parliament itself. The struggle I had to wage to place disability on the agenda was a lonely one, because people were not familiar with disability issues." Ms Rantho was on the core team of people who drafted South Africa's disability policy, the Integrated National Disability Strategy, which was passed by Cabinet in 1997. In 1999, Maria left Parliament and was appointed to the Public Service Commission where she played a significant role in the fight against corruption. She headed some of the major investigations aimed at fostering good governance. She was still in the employ of the Public Service Commission at the time of her passing.
Maria Rantho was a leader who was recognized in Africa and across the world, once occupying positions as Deputy Chairperson of Disabled People International (DPI) and the Pan African Federation of Disabled Persons (PAFOD). She was instrumental in the institutionalization of the African Decade of Disabled Persons, which has now been adopted by the African Union. Maria mobilized people in the Southern African region to take up the rightful positions in their respective countries as first and not second-class citizens. She addressed political organisations, persons and heads of nations in a quest to create awareness on the rights of disabled persons, which were being constantly violated. In her lifetime, she set developments in motion in this country, which will forever shape our democracy. We salute her as a woman of greatness and carry forward her dream of equality for all people with disabilities.
Arrangements are underway for a memorial service to be held on Thursday, July 18 and a funeral service will take place on July 20.
For further information and enquiries, please contact Sebenzile Matsebula (012) 3005480/ 0823733902.