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His Excellency the Mayor of Ekurhuleni,
The Board Members of Zishap,
Representatives of the disability sector,
Fellow South Africans,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am truly grateful for this opportunity to join you, and others in the country, continent and world, as we celebrate this day, the International Day of Disabled Persons.

More than anything, this Day is a celebration of the resilience, triumph and achievements of persons with disabilities, as well as the recognition of the tireless struggle of people with disabilities due to difficulties encountered in their everyday lives.

It is also a day for us to celebrate the contributions and role of organisations such as our host today, the Zicabangeleni Self-help Association for the Physically Disabled, who are showing the way forward a sustainable livelihood.

Ladies and gentlemen, the theme for the observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons in 2002 is "Independent Living and Sustainable Livelihoods."

The theme emphasises that by recognising the right of persons with disabilities to self-support, decent work, dignity, respect, self-reliance and self-determination, communities around the world will be able to develop new ideas and options for a strengthened basis for its economic, social, and cultural advancement as a whole.

This theme also reminds us that we all have a role to play towards sustainable development and livelihoods. This is more crucial as we face the challenge of dealing with poverty in our country. To meet the challenge of poverty, we need to work together, as strong partnerships yield positive results.

For our part, government has prioritised the fight against poverty, through among other things strengthening the social security system, and intensifying the campaign for issuing social grants.

In the State of the Nation Address, on 8 February 2002, President Mbeki committed government to fast-tracking the registration of social grants and the creation of mechanisms to foster social partnerships. Critical to that was the focus on improving the conditions of the most vulnerable members of our society like children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

Government is systematically and progressively addressing issues affecting people with disabilities within the context of these national government priorities.

Already it has amended regulations of the Social Assistance Act to ensure access to services including grants, especially by poor communities in the rural areas.

To assist the registration process, provisions of the Social Assistance Act have been amended with regard to certification. Panels of reputable community leaders are currently being set up to certify disabilities in rural areas where there are no district surgeons. This will ensure that there are no delays by the unavailability of district surgeons to certify disability.

Such efforts require the participation of various stakeholders. We therefore request the assistance of Zishap and other organisations to encourage the registration for social grants.

Compatriots, in light of the global campaign of 16 Days of Activism on No Violence Against Women and Children, I am sure you would agree with me, that we need to be even more vigilant and more united in fighting violence against women and children with disabilities.

There are over three million people with disabilities in South Africa, and the majority of them are women.

Women with disabilities are entitled to even greater protection from all forms of violence. This is so because they are particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse. This is further exacerbated by discriminatory attitudes towards women with disabilities. In many instances women with disabilities fear reporting abuse suffered at the hands of people whom they have to rely on for care.

Another challenge we face is that of HIV/AIDS. The disability sector is represented in the South African National AIDS Council and this has sensitised government on how to devise strategies to deal with the scourge of HIV/AIDS among people with disabilities.

The sector has highlighted issues such as greater vulnerability to infections, lack of access to information about the epidemic and the more marginal social and economic position of people with disabilities in society with respect to employment, housing, health and other services.

Distinguished guests, the quest for a better life extends beyond South Africa, and is a continental effort, as evidenced in the implementation of the African Decade for Disabled Persons, which was launched in November 1999.

South Africa, as the chair of the African Union, will be hosting the secretariat to implement the African Decade. We therefore have a unique opportunity to set the pace in this critically important development. We must play a pivotal role in ensuring that we develop an appropriate African response to the challenges facing people with disabilities on the continent.

The activities this Decade will aim to, among others, alleviate poverty among people with disabilities, raise awareness, and place the needs of people with disabilities on the social and economic agendas of African governments and to improve the quality of the lives of disabled people on the African continent.

As South Africa, we are also proud to be a co-sponsor of the UN General Assembly Resolution 56/168 and the Commission on Human Rights Resolution 2002/61, which states, and I quote:

"To consider proposals for a comprehensive and integral international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, based on an holistic approach considering the work done in the fields of social development, human rights and non-discrimination". (End quote).

This is once again a result of the partnerships that have been forged between civil society and government on disability issues.

Compatriots, once again, I am truly pleased to be spending such an important day in our calendar with the people of Kathlehong. It is always good for us to get together as South Africans to share our hopes, fears, and dreams, and work together to make our wishes for our country come true.

I wish you all the best for the festive season ahead!

I thank you

Issued by The Presidency, 3 December 2002