African National Congress (ANC) MPs with disabilities have threatened to embark on protests if the quality of service rendered to disabled people at South African airports is not improved.
Briefing the media in Parliament on Thursday, ANC MP Maxwell Moss said the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), as well as airlines, had failed to attend to the needs of disabled passengers.
”We have reached a stage where, together with other organisations, we will embark on protests. ”
Despite several meetings with Acsa and South African Airways (SAA), the treatment of disabled passengers has deteriorated over the years.
”The services are now worse than ever,” he said.
Airport employees are not receiving any training on how to handle disabled passengers, and vehicles transporting the disabled are old, Moss said.
”Disabled people who are members of Parliament have in the past experienced a lot of difficulties regarding the services rendered to them when making use of SAA and other airlines.
”We have also had numerous complaints from ordinary disabled persons … about the bad service they get,” he said.
As a result, a number of MPs have now resorted to using road transport — even for long distances — just to escape the bad treatment they are being subjected to at airports.
Another ANC MP, Vincent Gore accused Acsa, as well as airlines, of discriminating against disabled people.
”People with disabilities are being treated as second-rate citizens in their own country,” he said.
Moss said disabled MPs are demanding an urgent meeting with relevant Cabinet ministers, including Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin.
”We want to make them aware that we want to see visible improvement,” he said. — Sapa