BuaNews (Tshwane)
Kagiso Metswamere
3 December 2008
Matlosana — People living with disabilities must be given the opportunity to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country, says North West acting Premier, Jerry Thibedi.
Mr Thibedi was speaking on Wednesday during the celebration of the International Day of Disabled Persons at the Matlosana sports ground.
The annual event is celebrated on 3 December as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 47/13 of October 1992.
He said the province was mindful of its role in the fight against the exclusion of people with disabilities from the standard amenities of life and that government has made a commitment to empower disabled people.
"Government has made a commitment to empower people with disabilities in a holistic programme of action which entails creating decent quality jobs for them; ensuring that employment equity targets relating to them are observed," he said.
In March last year the South African Government signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.
"We also began the process of reviewing the National Disability Policy Framework and the National Job-Access framework for the employment and equity of people with disabilities."
He said the review was aimed at ensuring better jobs and an improvement in the quality of life for persons with disabilities.
However, he said, the ultimate challenge that government faced with regard to the issue of people with disabilities was the attitudes of South Africans towards them.
"If we are to win the battle for the dignity of people with disabilities, we will have to conquer our negative attitudes towards them and understand that they have as much, and in some instances even more, to offer our society than even some among us who have no physical disability," said Mr Thibedi.
The international theme for the 2008 International Day of Disabled Persons is "Justice and Dignity for all".
The theme has been adopted and added to the South African theme: "Business Unusual all hands on deck to speed up change for people with disabilities."
The day is commemorated during the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign.
Mr Thibedi said: "We celebrate this Day at a time when we confront violence against women and children through our 16 Days of Activism Campaign.
"Like women and children, people with disabilities are quite often abused in an exploitation of their vulnerability, and like women and children they continue to be marginalised when in fact they are part of the overall fabric of our society."
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