Pretoria - Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities Lulu Xingwana has called on the private sector to employ people with disabilities, saying it makes business sense.
Speaking at the launch of Disability Month in Midrand, the minister expressed concern that the target of employing two percent of people with disability has not been reached.
Xingwana also launched the Disability Awareness Campaign at Tumelo Home for Mentally and Physically Handicapped Children, which aims to raise awareness about the challenges and highlight key interventions for protection of rights of people with disabilities.
The campaign will run up the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on 3 December which will be commemorated in a Disability Summit to be held in Bloemfontein.
The minister said it was important to raise awareness about people with disabilities so that their issues would be taken into consideration in community initiatives.
Xingwana expressed concern about challenges facing of children with severe disabilities who are not enrolled in facilities because of space limitations. She will be interacting with the Department of Education, Health, Social Development and other relevant Departments to find solutions to this challenge.
