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The Premier of the Eastern Cape;
The Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Metropole;
The Chairperson of the South African Federal Council on Disability;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;

Millions of people throughout the world are today commemorating International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

More than 500 million people have some sensory, physical or intellectual impairment, making persons with disabilities one of the world's largest minority groups.

The International Day for Persons with Disabilities was declared by the United Nations to raise awareness about disability rights and to make society conscious of the fact that people with disabilities are an integral part of our society.

The aim of this annual occasion is to promote the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and participation in society by persons with disabilities. Our participation and hosting of this event as Government today, intends to reaffirm the status of people with disabilities within the framework of government.

Government has created a working partnership with the disability sector by putting in place mechanisms, policies, legislation and an institutional framework that seek to take positive steps in affirming people with disabilities.

This year, we can look back with pride at the positive achievements that this partnership can claim as a major victory in the effort to improve the lives of people with disabilities. The mandate we have is in line with the Government's vision of a better life for all.

Our strength lies in the integrated approach we have taken in relation to protecting and promoting the rights of vulnerable groups. The location in The Presidency of the Offices on the Rights of the Child, Office on the Status of Women and Office on the Status of Disabled Persons shows our commitment as government.

The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons serves to facilitate, co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate all government programmes and projects which enable the mainstreaming of disability into all sectors of society.

A useful instrument in achieving this is the White Paper on the Integrated National Disability Strategy, which provides guidelines for the integration and inclusion of disability by ensuring that people with disabilities are able to access the same fundamental rights as any other South Africans.

This is expressed within the paradigm of a social human rights and development approach which forms the basis of the promotion and respect of the rights of disabled persons. The social approach differs from the medical approach of the past, which viewed disability as an illness, and the welfare framework, which saw people with disabilities as different and in need of care.

The White Paper is a landmark policy document, and seeks to ensure that government departments consciously make their policies, procedures, practices and programmes disability inclusive.

In addition, it seeks to radically transform attitudes, perceptions and behaviour towards people with disabilities, thus creating an environment where disability issues and the needs of people with disabilities are fully integrated as a matter of cause, not as an after thought or special favour.

In line with this mission, Government has undertaken the following activities, to name a few, which have contributed to the mainstreaming of disability into government initiatives:

* A draft policy on the treatment of offenders with disabilities by the Department of Correctional Services.
* A draft policy on integration of disability into the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.
* The successful completion of a project on "a celebration of arts, culture and disability" by the Department of Arts, Science, Culture, and Technology.
* The development of a disability strategy document by the Department of Justice.
* Ensuring that bidders in the Taxi Industry Recapitalisation Project tender stipulate that accommodation for most disabilities will be fully accommodated.

While noting progress made, we are also aware of the challenges that still face us - including the following:
* The level of poverty amongst people with disabilities.
* Little employment opportunities and prospects in the labour market:
* Inaccessible built environment and public transport;
* Creation of education and training opportunities:
* Economic empowerment through Public and Private partnerships.
* Problems with the issuing of social grants to people with disabilities in some areas.

The issue of the efficient provision of disability grants is a critical one that we as Government need to address urgently.

During our visit to a housing project during our Imbizo to the Free State last week, Ministers Zola Sikweyiya and Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele and I were shocked to discover a resident with a hearing disability who had not received his grant for five months.

Minister Sikweyiya and the MEC for Social Welfare in the province immediately took down his details. The following day, I was happy to report to the Imbizo plenary that the matter had been finalised and the man was due to receive his money.

We cannot call ourselves a caring government when hundreds of people with disabilities do not receive their grants on time.

There is another challenge we have to deal with: facing children with disabilities. The majority live in extreme poverty, and in these harsh conditions youth with disabilities have fewer opportunities than their peers to access development programmes or work.

Negative attitudes from the community impact on their self-esteem and confidence. Most importantly, children with disabilities, in particular girls, are more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse.

To deal with the situation, children and youth with disabilities are recognised as a particularly vulnerable group and are a focus area within the National Programme of Action for Children.

We are prioritising youth and children with disabilities because they are the usually the first target of abusers, who take advantage of the fact that some of them may have difficulty in reporting the matter to the authorities. We also challenge parents and communities to take children seriously when they inform them of such abuses. It is the only way in which we can eradicate this scourge from our society.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have also scored achievements through the South African National AIDS Council in working with the disability sector on meeting the challenges of HIV/AIDS.

People with disabilities had been excluded from the HIV/AIDS campaign, and had not been recognised as a vulnerable group. Through representation in SANAC, the sector has been able to make a meaningful contribution to programmes.

A landmark event was the disability summit, held last year, which developed a strategy for confronting the HIV/AIDS challenge for people with disabilities. Some of the problems identified included:

* Lack of sign language interpreters for deaf people in HIV prevention campaigns.
* The inability of health workers to train blind people to use a condom.
* The insensitivity of some health workers in counselling people with disabilities on HIV/AIDS.

The progress made this year in addressing these problems includes:

* Training workshops and a code of ethics for sign language interpreters,
* The development of a five-year strategy for deaf people.
* Training workshops and a five-year strategy on dealing with HIV/AIDS for blind people, including the availability of HIV messages in Braille and on audiocassettes.

The cassettes, which are available in eleven languages, do not only benefit blind people, but also senior citizens and the illiterate as well. Early next year, SANAC will launch a videotape for young deaf people in schools.

Ladies and gentlemen, the ultimate achievement of this country lies in entrenching the rights of people with disabilities in the Bill of Rights of our Constitution.

This finds expression in the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act and the Employment Equity Act, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability.

We have noted however, that despite the existence of these laws, some employers, in both the public and private sector, still do not have the designated percentage of people with disabilities in their workforce. It shows that while we have gone far, there is still a lot of work to be done.

We can achieve more if we work together to improve the quality of life of all. As we mark International Day for People with Disabilities today, let us as a nation renew our pledge to build a South Africa in which every citizen can participate fully and actively, and be treated with dignity and respect.

Let us empower ourselves with knowledge about disability, as it will enable us to change our mindsets and remove stereotypes and prejudices. Together, we can make a difference! I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency

3 December 2001