Mpumalanga’s new Vukuzenzele Project for the Disabled is dedicated to helping disabled children attend school.
UP to 80% of disabled children in Mpumalanga do not attend school, said premier Ndaweni Mahlangu on Tuesday.
Speaking at the launch of the Vukuzenzele Project for the Disabled near Volksrust, he said immediate interventions had to be put in place to address the crisis.
”We need to urgently intervene to ensure there is adequate access for children with disabilities to education,” he said.
He said the provincial government had committed itself to early childhood development for disabled children and would ensure that all disabled people had equal opportunities.
”We have also committed ourselves to eradicating negative attitudes, perceptions and mindsets with the public service and civil society,” he added.
He was aware that the Vukuzenzele project, which helps create jobs for the disabled, needed to upgrade its facilities.
According to the local health inspector the project’s environment is not conducive to learning.
”We will do all in our powers to support you in your development,” he promised.
On Tuesday, Mahlangu’s office handed over 40 wheelchairs to disabled people in the area.
”We hope that people will be able to go to school, work and participate in normal life,” he said.
He invited the disabled to attend Freedom Day celebrations in Kwaggafontein on April 27.
— African Eye News Service, April 4, 2000.