People with disabilities slam Govt for empty promises

By Courage Dutiro

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) have spoken strongly against fake promises made by government in the run up to last year’s harmonised elections, saying such conduct amounted to disrespect that could not be tolerated.

Participants at belated celebrations to mark the International Day for Persons With Disabilities at the Masvingo Civic Centre this week complained that promises made by government never come to fruition.

They urged the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs, Ezra Chadzamira to take people with disabilities’ grievances seriously.

Zimbabwe Association of the Visually Handicapped (ZAVH) executive director, Timothy Mudarikwa said an empowerment fund promised by government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) in 2018 never materialised.

“Our names are being used to get funds but we are not benefiting from those funds. The $5 million empowerment fund for the disabled that we were promised in 2018 benefitted none of us here yet we were told it belonged to us,” said Mudarikwa.

The celebrations, which ran under the theme ‘Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Ensuring Inclusiveness and Equality to Walk the Talk’, gave the disabled a chance to share ideas and experiences.

Other participants called upon government not to disrespect people with disabilities by making false promises, saying Chadzamira could help by taking their grievances forward.

“We were promised farms, residential stands and many other things but nothing tangible has been done for us,” said Disability Amalgamation Community Trust (DACT) national chairperson Purazeni Jakata.

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