Embrace mindset shift towards people living with disabilities – President Mnangagwa

Hosia Mviringi

In fulfilment of a promise made in 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa this week launched the National Disability Policy in Harare.

The National Disability Policy is a demonstration of the government’s commitment to fulfilling, promoting, protecting and respecting the rights of persons living with disabilities.

In acknowledgement of the fact that disabled persons have similar rights as everyone else, the government is committed to facilitate entry and participation of people living with disabilities in every facet of life including employment, education, healthcare, housing, sport, music, disaster risk management and in production.

“Inline with the promise made in 2018 of my administration’s determination to develop robust and responsive policies that meet expectations of people living with disabilities, today we a re launching the National Disability Policy.

As we do so, it is incumbent on all of us to shift from perceiving people living with disabilities as ” objects” of charity, medical treatment and social protection, and instead view persons with disabilities as being capable of productively participating in building of our great country, like all other citizens.

The reality is that no one plans to be born with a disability, or acquire a disability, hence everyone has an equal chance of becoming a person with disabilities at any time,” said President Mnangagwa in a speech at the launch.

As President Mnangagwa rightly put it that this is in line with our “Ubuntu/ Tsika dzedu”, in the Shona dialect they say “seka urema Wafa”, loosely translated to mean that one should never laugh at the next person’s disability, because anyone has an equal chance of becoming disabled for as long as one is still alive.

He urged all State and non-state actors to do everything possible to make the aspirations of this sector become a reality.
Special treatment for people with disabilities exacerbates stigmatisation and resultant discrimination and marginalisation of this sector of society.

” Meanwhile harmful cultural practices, discrimination, marginalisation and exclusion of persons living with disabilities must be brought to an end,” he concluded.