01/11/2024
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES DEMAND FAIR TREATMENT, INCLUSION IN 2025 BUDGETS AMID PERSISTENT STRUGGLES
Perseverance Javangwe
Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are calling on the government to deliver a 2025 budget that meaningfully addresses their needs and challenges. For years, they have faced exclusion, discrimination, and systemic barriers that have curtailed their participation in society. While the government introduced the Disability Policy to address these issues, many PWDs argue that implementation remains lacking, and access to basic needs like employment, healthcare, and affordable housing continues to be a nightmare.
As the country engages in processes for the 2025 budget at both local and national levels, Zimbabwe’s disability community is amplifying calls for specific allocations, stronger legal protections, and the urgent implementation of existing disability provisions.
“When it comes to residential stands, they demand that we pay the amount pegged for that stand. Whether I afford it or not does not matter. They do not even look at whether we are employed or not,” explained Chrispen Ncube of Mbizo Section 7. Ncube, a man with disability who supports himself by crushing quarry stones for sale, lamented the economic challenges faced by PWDs. “To get employment is a challenge; no one wants to employ a PWD,” he said. He also noted the pervasive social stigmatisation of PWDs, which he believes worsens the exclusion they face. “The community views us as people who should not exist.”
PWDs like Ncube hope the 2025 budget will address these longstanding barriers by providing affordable housing and exemptions in healthcare costs. “We also wish that as PWDs, we do not have to pay to be treated at local clinics. It is difficult to get the money when you do not work. Imagine if I need an operation costing $USD 10,000, where can I get that money?” querried Ncube.
Nkosana Nkiwane, PWD representative for Ward 12 in Kwekwe, concurred with Ncube in that the cost of housing remains a critical issue. Due to limited job opportunities, many are unable to afford the high-cost stands allocated by city councils, who often categorize PWDs the same as other applicants with regular income sources. “Kwekwe city Council is failing to allocate affordable stands to us as PWDs,” Nkiwane stated. “They say we have to pay like everyone else, yet we do not work. Where do we get that money?”
The Zimbabwean government has previously promised loan programs to support PWDs, but many in the disabled community report these initiatives have not materialised. “Social Welfare stated there are loans for PWDs, but it only ends in talk. We have not seen anything tangible on the ground. As PWDs, we expect inclusion in all aspects of life,” Nkiwane added.
Nkiwane also shared the daily obstacles PWDs encounter in the job market, where discriminatory hiring practices prevent them from gaining employment even for jobs they could easily perform. “As persons with disabilities, we are neglected in our communities. Even when they claim to be doing something for us, it is not sufficient,” he explained. Nkiwane described a recent missed opportunity for inclusive employment in Kwekwe City Council, that hired people to collect street parking payments an accessible job that could have been filled by PWDs. “But there is no single person with a disability who got employed,” Nkiwane pointed out.
PWDs also face challenges in accessing education and obtaining the costly assistive devices they need, such as crutches, wheelchairs, or callipers. “We have blind and deaf students attending expensive schools they cannot afford. Are we being included in budget processes?” Nkiwane asked. He noted that PWDs are supposed to receive Public Assistance (PA) from the government to help them navigate life, but the aid is irregular, sometimes arriving only once every three years.
Howard Masaninga, another advocate for PWD rights, voiced concerns about the lack of transparency and awareness surrounding the Disability Policy and current budget allocations. “In 2022, the government enacted the Disability Policy, but it has not been widely shared with the PWDs it is supposed to protect,” he noted. Masaninga argued that without awareness of their rights and the resources available to them, PWDs are left in the dark. “It is difficult to participate in budget processes when our voices are only brought in to rubber-stamp already decided positions. Whether we participate or not, we are already being treated unfairly. Our rights are violated every day.”
Pick Nkomwa, Executive Director at Nkomwa Foundation Trust, emphasised the need for PWD representation in decision-making roles at every level, from local councils to parliament. “Inclusion of PWDs in decision-making will empower them to voice their needs and influence policies that affect their lives,” he said. Nkomwa advocated for dedicated budget allocations that fund accessible infrastructure, public transport, and vocational training programs tailored for PWDs.
Nkomwa further highlighted the necessity of specialised healthcare services, including mental health support, as essential to PWDs. “Ensure that healthcare facilities are equipped for PWDs, including physical accessibility and specialized medical care. Mental health support should also be prioritised for PWDs, as they face unique challenges,” he added.
The National Disability Policy prohibits discrimination based on disability and mandates equal access to services. “…committed to fulfilling, promoting, protecting and respecting the rights of persons with disabilities. The Government of Zimbabwe acknowledges that just like everyone else, persons with disabilities have human rights, hence they should occupy space in all facets of life including in employment, education, healthcare, housing, music, sport, disaster risk management and many other areas.” Moreover, Zimbabwe is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which underscores the rights of PWDs to employment, healthcare, education, and full social participation. Despite these protections, many Zimbabwean PWDs report minimal improvements, citing social stigma, lack of proper infrastructure, and limited awareness of disability rights.
As Zhombe ward 9 councillor Alderman Emmanuel Sibanda pointed out, “the Disability Policy only caters for those in the capital city and in those better-developed towns, and not here in the rural areas. It does not apply here because children with disabilities cannot access schools; they end up staying at home instead of going to school. There is a need for the government to provide us with a school here in Zhombe that is accessible to persons with disabilities.”
In addition to the above for PWDs in Zimbabwe, education remains a significant hurdle, as students with disabilities frequently lack access to affordable schooling, resources, and support. Barbra Ngangairi, Executive Director of Deaf Zimbabwe Trust, is among those advocating for greater inclusivity in the education sector. “We hope to see disability-specific budget allocations, not ones where disability is invisible and has to be inferred,” Ngangairi said. She noted that schools need resources like sign language interpreters and assistive technologies to enable meaningful learning for disabled students.
“We hope to see increased allocations in education, healthcare, employment creation, and safety nets for PWDs and their families,” she added. Ngangairi stressed that without adequate resources, the concept of inclusion remains largely theoretical.
Disability advocate Brenda Mhlanga talked about the healthcare Provisions for Persons with Albinism, “…there is need for allocation for specialized skin care products, such as broad-spectrum sunscreens, hats, and protective clothing to assist persons with albinism. The budget should include increased funding for dermatological services, including mobile clinics and telemedicine. Provisions for subsidised or free eye care services, including glasses and low-vision aids are also necessary. Training programs for
healthcare professionals on albinism-specific care is necessary. We expect the budget to include the establishment of albinism centres or desks in hospitals for streamlined services.”
“To tackle discrimination, awareness, and inclusion, the 2025 budget should include funding for nationwide awareness campaigns to dispel myths and stigmatization. Support education and training programs for teachers, law enforcement, and public officials. There is need to allocate resources for disability-inclusive infrastructure development while establishing anti-discrimination units in law enforcement agencies. Lastly the budget should provide funding for advocacy organizations and support groups.”
However Mhlanga recommends that there should be, “consultations with persons with albinism and disability organisations before finalising the budget.”
Efforts to speak with Kwekwe City Council Clerk Lucia Mkandla to understand if there are provisions in the budget meant for PWDs in Kwekwe were fruitless as her mobile phone was not being answered. However, speaking during an interview with this reporter Kwekwe Mayor Albert Zinhanga stated that there is a provision for PWDs in the budget, “yes we do have a budget that supports persons with disabilities. We took into consideration their plights and it was addressed in the budget. There is an allocation for their needs. We are very aware of it, we have covered it well.”
Mr Mlambo, Chair-person of the Alliance of Kwekwe Residents and Rate Payers Association, criticised the Kwekwe City Council’s budget for focusing only on income without specifying expenditure, which he argues makes it impossible to see if there is any provision for PWDs. “In the Kwekwe City Council’s case, there is no expenditure budget here. Even if they buy cars, they will just say we agreed with people, but we never saw that in the budget. From my perspective, this is not even a budget, it does not meet the standards of being a budget,” Mlambo said.
Without detailed budget plans that explicitly allocate resources for PWDs and outline tangible steps toward inclusivity, local councils risk neglecting this vulnerable population. For Zimbabwe’s PWDs, transparent and targeted budget allocations would demonstrate that the government is serious about upholding the rights of all citizens, not just those without disabilities.
The calls of Zimbabwe’s disabled community for the 2025 budget are clear: they seek a fair chance at inclusion in housing, employment, education, and healthcare, and they demand that the government prioritise the implementation of existing policies rather than continue to overlook the needs of PWDs.
As Masaninga succinctly put it, “We are not asking for favours. We are simply asking for policy implementation and adherence.”
The 2025 budget presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to take a concrete step toward the equitable and inclusive society outlined in its Disability Policy and international commitments under the CRPD. Through allocating resources that address the specific needs of PWDs, the government can demonstrate its commitment to creating an inclusive society where every citizen, regardless of their abilities, can contribute to and benefit from economic, social, and cultural progress.
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