“Today we see the need to thank both Department of Public Works and Department of Human Settlements together with the Disability App Task Team for the hard work put towards the attainment of the Disability App, meant to uplift the Disability sector with access to employment and procurement opportunities available in both sister departments. Employment Equity in our Government is very specific on the minimum employment requirement of 2% suitably qualified disabled employees. Both sister departments comply to this requirement. We are together up in arms in a quest to assist those department who have not yet met this requirement to implement this prescript and comply accordingly.” KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works Honorable MEC Sipho Caiphus Nkosi uttered the above as he paid the Disability Sector and presented a surprise on the first day of the Provincial Disability Parliament.
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial government held an International Day for People with Disability celebration on Sunday, 03 December 2023, in Newcastle, Richview Civic Hall, in Amajuba District Municipality. To this, the Disability Sector sent delegation from all KZN districts. This preceded the Disability sectoral parliament which was held on 4th of December in Newcastle Inn and 5th December 2023, in Richview Civic Hall. It is here where MEC Nkosi so the need to recognize the task team which played a major role in the setting up of the disability app meant to enable disable to access employment and procurement opportunities in the sister department of Human Settlements and Public Works.
The Disability App initiative came as a resolution to one of the problems discussed by the Disability Sector at the fruitful Disability Dialogue called by Department of Public Works in November 2019. The identified problem was the lack of inclusion of the disabled people in the economic development opportunities such as employment and procurement offered by the department. The dialogue resorted into the creation of an App which the department would use to advertise opportunities to the sector and in the same note, the suitably qualifying disabled people would use it to view the advertised opportunities and apply where they see the need.
A Chartered Accountant by the name of Dr. Sotobe Sibiya, who is also disabled, made a R25000.00 donation towards the setting-up of this app. The sister departments (Human Settlements and Public Works) saw the need to setup a task team to work on the sourcing of service providers and laying out services they would like the app to provide. A task team of 7 members was chosen in a meeting of Disability Provincial Chair persons. Several meetings were held where service providers were identified from whom quotations were obtained. When these were dealt with, it became very clear that R25000.00 was a drop in an ocean and that the sister departments had to put in more money towards the attainment of this dream.
Honorable Public Works MEC Sipho Caiphus Nkosi saw a need to make a good gesture to the Disability App Task Team members and offered them Lenovo Tablets in recognition of the remarkable role they played in the setting up of the disability app. Mphazima believes that as the world speedily embraces the 4IR, disabled people must not be found wanting but they also must be well-equipped in order to participate equally on the same platform and not just be observers. The tablets are disability friendly and accessible. They are equipped with a voice synthesizer facility, allowing blind to read text on the screen and also to make text input.
“I would like to utter words of our highest gratitude to MEC Nkosi and the sister departments for believing in disabled people.” Said Miss. Lindiwe Lolo Manana (Chair Person: Disability App Task Team). “I am thankful to the management of the sister department for entrusting us with the role of ensuring that the dream of Dr. Sibiya finally gets to its realization. Miss Delisile Mncube and Dr. Mduduzi Nhlozi worked tirelessly with us, putting long hours, overcoming a chain of challenges, giving us all the support as a result of which, this project is seeing this success at this point in time. Honorable MEC Nkosi, thank you very much for this wonderful surprise. It will go to good use.”
By Bheki Khawula
and Neliswa Nhlabathi.