DISABILITY IN ZIMBABWE; THE CASE OF THE STRAY DOG Dear comrades, compatriots and all those who wish us well: Once again, today, the whole world reflects on challenges and successes of persons with disabilities. Progressive nations have state organised commemorations. This year, this day is being celebrated under the theme, “Break Barriers, Open Doors: for an inclusive society and development for all”. It is with a heavy heart that here in zimbabwe, we mark this day for the second time with visible state inactivity. As an activist, this exposition is my own way of marking the day. In its manifesto, the ZANU PF party which went on to win the elections and form the current government identified respect for persons with disabilities as one of the “goals of the people”. It is necessary that I quote for you from page 28 of the manifesto: Zimbabweans recognise the challenges faced by their compatriots with disabilities. Against this backdrop, it is a goal of the people to ensure that persons with disabilities are fully respected and assisted by the Zanu PF Government to realise their full mental and physical potential in order for them to be self-reliant so as to participate fully in the national economy and to be able to live with their families and pursue their hopes and dreams while being protected from all forms of abuse or exploitation.” What is clear in this is that notwithstanding the welfarist approach apparent in words such as “assisted”, the quoted statement is more inclined towards disability rights and inclusion. In addition, on the 23rd of September, the government ratified the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. This was a ray of hope for persons with disabilities who thought that this would be followed by tangible state activities. Before proceeding, a flashback will do. Last year, the inclusive government did not even even care about the international day of persons with disabilities. We were told that the ministry to which disability fell was held by the MDC and that Zanu PF would not have allowed this to happen. We were in the trenches fighting other battles and we let it go. This time, our revolutionary party’s government has marked all other events one can think of. Talk of the breast feeding day, the world aids day, the international day of women, refugees etc etc yet it has not even said a word on disability. This is very sad indeed especially given that this is a government which came as a result of a protracted war of liberation which left so many Zimbabweans disabled. This behaviour is characteristic of a government which has left disability work in the hands of charity and the major task which activists and persons with disabilities have is that of ensuring that the government is held accountable and walk the talk on disability from a rights based approach. How can a government which ratified the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities fail to honour the UN day of persons with disabilities? Is this not just like a man who pays the bride price and has a white wedding but refuses to stay with the woman as his wife? What a shame! As we commemorate this day, lets never lose sight of the fact that we have a government with a well documented history of non-compliance with disability legislation. A case in point is that of section 3 of the Disabled Persons Act, though antiquated, this act provides in the section under discussion for the establishment of the office of “the director for disabled persons affairs”. By implication, there must be a department of disabled persons affairs. Since this act was promulgated, this office has never been occupied and the department never created. Recently, the ministry of labour and social welfare, which is tasked with the administration of this act has been restructured and there is now a new director of child rights who has three deputy directors. Yet disability remains under the over-stretched and under-staffed department of social welfare. For the past twenty-one years, the government is refusing to create this department. When one critically looks at this, it is clear that there is misdirected effort because children’s issues are dealt with in the ministry of education, health and child care as well as ministry of youth. If ever there was a department which needed to be created urgently in that ministry, it is the department of disabled persons affairs. Still on the legal developments, though poorly written, the new constitution provides a number of opportunities for persons with disabilities. This include the official status of sign language, the obligation on the part of the state to provide information to persons with disabilities in accessible formats, the inclusion of several rights such as the right to state funded education for persons with disabilities in the bill of rights inter-alia. Furthermore, as highlighted above, the government ratified without reservations both the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilirties and the optional protocol. It is imperative upon all who are in the trenches to fight for the domestication of the convention and the harmonisation of our laws with the disability rights framework established in terms of the convention. One of the most tired yet true statements in the world of academics is that there is a co-relation between disability and poverty. As we mark this day, activists must come to a point of a painful admition that we have not directed our efforts well towards poverty alleviation. Education and empowerment of persons with disabilities remain very law on the agenda of both the state and public players. Indeed project proposals have been written and organisations have been funded in the name of disability mainstreaming yet the actual beneficiaries have never got anything other than being called to workshops where they are filmed and photographed for more donor funding. In other instances where money has been received for disability inclusion, persons with disabilities are taken on board as window dressers and not decision makers. My father is a Mbira player. I particularly remember one song he would play. “imbwa yangu machena, yaenda yega isina munhu mugwara” This is a cry of a hunter whose dog has just gone alone without it’s owner. I am truly convinced that our government is like that dog as far as disability issues are concerned and as disability rights activists and all other concerned citizens, we can not continue watching this dog not only going astray but also rabid. Lets put a stop to the situation where disability work is directed by gate keepers of charity and make our government more disability rights oriented. If they have not made us part of systems, lets bulldoze our way into the system. As Ed Roberts put it, “if you snooze you lose”. Lets start demanding for action and action now. I wish you a happy international day of persons with disabilities. Yours truly Mukoma A the activist
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:17:24 +0000
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