Social accountability forum attracts Mayors
December 17, 2022
Nontobeko Sibanda
Choice News Africa
Gwanda– The disability community have positively steered a social culpability forum in Gwanda district of Matabeleland South, as engagement with Municipality of Gwanda duty bearers was on service delivery, land, water and sanitation.
Persons with disabilities led by NFT founder, Pick Nkomwa presented hurdles they are encountering and the pains they go through with the way they are treated in Gwanda by community.
Several persons with disability, have difficulties in access to and use of potable water and sanitation services. These are essential human needs worldwide that every individual is entitled to, as access to water and sanitation services regardless of age, sex, gender or disability is a necessity.
For years, disability community has been excluded in accessing land, water and sanitation. After realising the exclusion, Nkomwa Foundation Trust organised an engagement forum between Persons with disabilities and the policy makers of Gwanda. The forum was attended by His Worship the Mayor of Gwanda Councillor Njabulo Siziba and his Deputy Councillor Panalo Maphala.
One of the caregivers who attended, Ms Pauline Molangeni poured her heart out in tears pleading with the authorities to consider their plight.
“As a caregiver to my child with disability, it is so challenging for me to get a stand from the council due to my child’s disability and lam not gainfully employed since l spend the whole day taking care of my child, yet l need a decent shelter for my child ” said Molangeni.
In the same sentiments, Dorica Churu said that as a parent with a child with disability, she does not have a source of income to take care of her child and pleaded with Council authorities to consider PWDs and caregivers on vending bays allocation, so that they will be able to care for their families.
“I am a caregiver, l do not have any source of income for child upkeep and humbly request that the council could allocate us vending bays where we can manage to trade on, so that we can support our families, ” She added.
Water shedding was also mentioned as the major challenge that was negatively affecting persons with disabilities. NFT’s Pick Nkomwa highlighted that persons with disabilities in Gwanda are in dire need of water. Life is never easy without water as some disabilities require constant water supplies.
The interactive meeting was characterised by laughter and sad moments as PWDs pour out their concerns. The Deputy Mayor Councillor Panalo Maphala responded that as authorities they feel so touched on the requests made. He said the concerns were genuine and admitted the Council failure in excluding persons with disabilities in all its programmes.
“I feel so touched by the requests made by PWDs community today and as the office, we have been failing to do enough to cater for their needs therefore we are going to sit down with the management to work on the improvement of our services to disability community,” said Cllr Maphala.
Gwanda Mayor Cllr Njabulo Siziba appreciated the platform created for dialogue. He promised to accommodate and to act together with his team, working closely with the management to address the issues raised by the disability community.
The Mayor also responded on the dirty public toilet and said, “At the moment in time, l wish no one could be using that public toilet, l have been trying as a Councillor of the ward but to no avail. I will keep on pushing until sanity is restored.
“On water issue it is unfortunate that as the Council we fail to have constant water supply. Let me make you aware that Council inherited the water plant with its defaults and pipe bursts are still a challenge resulting in erratic water supplies. However, we are still trying to raise other alternatives to solve the water crisis,” concluded Mayor Siziba.