Pretoria – Social Development Minister, Bathabile Dlamini, has appointed a committee to comprehensively tackle the human rights challenges facing people with disabilities in the country.
The minister made the announcement at a meeting with national organisations representing people with disabilities in Cape Town on Thursday.
Issues affecting people with disabilities now fall under the Department of Social Development, following a proclamation signed by President Jacob Zuma to reconfigure certain government ministries.
According to the department, the newly appointed committee is comprised of representatives from national organisations representing people with disabilities, social development officials, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) officials, National Development Agency (NDA) officials and the South African National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO).
The committee will first develop its terms of reference and then present a detailed and practical programme of action for advancing the national disability agenda in partnership with all relevant stakeholders and sectors, said the department.
This programme of action will be presented to government through a Disability Parliament that Parliament will be requested to convene.
The Disability Parliament is expected to become a standing item in Parliament’s calendar of activities.
Tabling the Department’s Budget Vote in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Dlamini declared 2014/2015 the year of people with disabilities, in line with government’s commitment to further consolidate the national disability agenda, under the theme: “Protecting and Promoting the human rights of people with disabilities: Towards full participation and inclusion”.
At the meeting on Thursday, the minister addressed a number of other issues raised by stakeholders, including the budget allocated to issues of disability, the methodology used to determine the disability grant and the number and kind of job opportunities reserved for people with disabilities within the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) Social Sector.
A decision was taken to appoint a working committee to work through the matters. – SAnews.gov.za
