By Shadreck Gurenje
President Mnangagwa has said the Second Republic is scaling up deliberate interventions towards the realisation of the aspirations of persons with disabilities.
Giving his keynote address at the meeting with Persons living with disabilities at State today, President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy and the country’s national Constitution articulates a wide array of issues regarding the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
President Mnangagwa also said that government is determined to facilitate and support persons living with disabilities in their enterprises and income-generating activities.
“Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy and our national Constitution articulates a wide array of issues regarding the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities. Section 6 recognises Sign Language as one of the 16 Official Languages in the country.
“ I commend efforts towards the inclusion of this critical language at public sector events. This must be intensified going forward. While, Section 22 of our Constitution emphasises the need to include disability at all levels in our development plans, a lot has been achieved towards embracing communication formats which are suitable for persons with disabilities, including braille. “Enhancing accessibility to buildings, amenities and public transport, to improve convenience and the overall quality of life for persons with disabilities in all their diversity, is critically important.
“Self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and mastery of our destiny as individuals and as a country are key at this stage of our development. My Government is determined to facilitate and support you in your enterprises and income-generating activities as well as other productive endeavours in areas such as agriculture, mining, and business, among others.
“I urge the nation to adapt to the changing socio-economic environment and embrace innovative, inclusive and empowering models of development.
On its part, my Government is scaling up deliberate interventions towards the realisation of the aspirations of persons with disabilities,” said President Mnangagwa.
The Head of State and Government also reiterated that the Second Republic’s National vision and National Development Strategy recognise disability inclusion as a fundamental and cross-cutting theme that should be considered by all socio-economic sectors.
“Our national Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy recognise disability inclusion as a fundamental and cross-cutting theme that should be considered by all socio-economic sectors. It is upon this background that Government Ministries have established Departments for Gender Mainstreaming, Inclusivity and Wellness. These are strategic focal entry points designed to enhance the inclusion of disability in the public sector. Meanwhile, the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Bill must be expedited.
“Through my Special Advisor, high impact National Disability Issues, a broad array of programmes and activities will be rolled out for the empowerment of persons with disabilities. No one will be left behind.
“The Zimbabwe National Disability Expo has always been a successful event ever since its introduction. The platform allows persons with disabilities, Government, the private sector, civil society organisations and communities to share ideas as well as perspectives, while enabling persons with disabilities to showcase their inherent abilities,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa launched the National Disability Policy in June 2021, which guides efforts to craft, refine and implement responsive and inclusive
Disability frameworks across all sectors and levels. The Policy draws from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other
International Conventions, which Government ratified, including the African Agenda 2063 and its disability[1]inclusive protocols.