Mangaung – People’s mindsets and attitudes toward persons with disabilities, especially women needed to change, deputy mayor of Bloemfontein, Connie Rampai, said on Wednesday.
The city, also known as the City of Roses, pulled out the stops for 13 Tributes finalists as they arrived in the city from different cities across South Africa, and as far as Kenya, to participate in the three-day 2015 Tributes Awards.
The awards, now in its sixth year, honours exceptional women with disabilities in South Africa and Africa, for their contribution to society. The finalists have different forms of disabilities, ranging from cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness and paralysis among others.
Rampai officially welcomed the finalists at City Hall, alongside with representatives from the department of education, social development and sports, arts, culture and recreation.
At the start, Musa E. Zulu, founder of the awards and creative director of Valhalla Arts requested a moment of silence.
“Our thirteenth finalist is no longer here on earth with us, but it is important to remember people with disabilities, especially women, because their legacies remain,” he said.
Addressing the finalists, Rampai said persons with disabilities, especially women, had a valuable contribution to make to society.
She noted that when it came to addressing issues around disability and discrimination, “it is a fight for equality – people’s mindset around disability must change”.
She added that anyone who was physically able could easily become disabled the next day, hence the importance for an increased understanding around disability and what it meant, and bringing about transformation.
In a statement, the City’s Mayor Thabo Manyoni, who was unable to attend the event said: “We are also quite mindful of the fact that disabled women have always faced a situation of double jeopardy as they are discriminated against as both disabled and as women.”
Manyoni added: “Societal attitudes further add to this forgoing situation, defining the disabled sector, particularly its women, as helpless and in need of being taken care of. These attitudes have limited the role that women with disabilities can play in universal society.”
Rampai described how Mangaung municipality was working towards a more progressive society by including persons with disabilities in their programmes within the municipality.
“Their voices must be heard,” she said.
Recalling how the ANC was first formed in Bloemfontein in 1912, she said 21 years into democracy, the city is cognisant of the challenges in addressing issues facing the youth and persons with disabilities.
A Disability Forum was formed in June this year as a vehicle through which various issues could be addressed and solved.
Mangaung Head of Social Development Esther Radebe said: “This is the first Disability Forum in the city. I am very excited about it and the awards. For a long time this forum did not exist and it is essential to put disability high on the agenda as we need to get things done now.”
“We have started assigning wheelchairs to people who need them,” she said.
People with disabilities also have first priority when it comes to making appointments within the municipality, she added.
The primary purpose of the forum, Manyoni said, “is to assist our municipality in identifying the needs, expressing views on priorities, evaluating services and advocating change and public awareness of disability”.
“We acknowledge the important role that this sector in general has played in our various struggles, challenges and victories as a developing nation that has just emerged from the many years of socio-political oppression and isolation.”
The 13 finalists received certificates that recognised their contribution to society.
Zulu said the finalists were nominated by “ordinary people to protect their interests and be a champion of peoples’ rights”. The awards event runs from August 26-28.
ANA