27 Nov 2017

The chairperson of District Disability Coordinating Council, Mr Boamogetswe Monyena has said everyone should play a significant role in the lives of people living with disability.

He said all the leaders making decisions should consider people living with disability as they also form part of the population and their opinions were equally important.

Mr Monyena said this at the Kgatleng District commemoration day of people living with disability, which was held under the theme ‘transformation towards sustainable and resilient society for all’.

He said everyone should help them so that they could fight challenges they faced.

Giving a keynote address, Pudulogong Rehabilitation and Development Centre (PUREDET) board member, Ms Tebogo Mangadi encouraged stakeholders to ensure that the theme was acted upon.

She said this year’s theme enabled each and every individual to play their part in making sure that people living with disability were also included in all decision making.

 Ms Mangadi encouraged organisers to do an evaluation meeting each year before establishing a theme to monitor their progress and make sure that all the themes were carried out and progress made.

She said Bakgatla should be grateful for being the centre for people living with disability as they are the only district other than Ramotswa where skills and mobility are done for PLWDs as most of them are independent individuals now.

Furthermore, she said next year the organisers should make sure people living with disabilitt played a significant role in the vent, as they were the major stakeholders.

They should be given an opportunity to share their experiences with the world, she added.

She encouraged everyone to look back at the 25 years which had passed since inauguration in 1992, and see what they have achieved.

Ms Mangadi said statistics in 2011 showed that there were 2472 PLWDs in Kgatleng and 1174 were registered while the remaining half were not registered.

However, she encouraged people to come forward and register so that they could be facilitated to exercise their rights.

For his part, the chairperson for Umbrella Village Development Committee Mr Wilfred Lebekwe said people should contribute much and stop expecting the government to do everything for them.

He said people should help others without expecting anything in return.

Mr Lebekwe encouraged Bakgatla to start a campaign where they place a smile on the face of people living with disability by donating to them thereby promoting equality among them.

He said people should understand that circumstances happen every day and they might just find themselves in a similar situation and asking for the same help that PLWDs need now hence the need to act now.

Giving a vote of thanks, the area councillor Mr Joseph Setoutwe encouraged stakeholders to take into consideration PLWDs when planning developments in their communities.

He thanked everyone for taking part in the event and encouraged them to help people living with disability in their everyday life. ENDS