Youth in the O.R Tambo district municipality in the Eastern Cape have established a foundation to address challenges faced by people living with disabilities.
The Zozibini Nangamso Foundation for the Physically Challenged aims to address issues such as discrimination, sexual and physical abuse, inaccessibility of buildings and public transport for people living with disabilities.
The foundation’s founder Sisona Mditshane says they seek to advocate rights for people living with disabilities in the province.
“I have an experience, I have been discriminated at school even by the elder people telling me that I have one eye and all that. So I feel like if I create this foundation I can bring back the confidence of the people who are disabled. And I can bring back the confidence to know that they are capable of doing anything with the disability or not.”
Social Development MEC Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi has applauded the foundation for advocating for the rights of those living with disabilities.
“It’s such programmes that they will also ensure that they also regain the confidence but also that we deliver our services to them with the dignity they deserve because we cannot say we are developing the province when we are leaving behind people living with disabilities and we are leaving them having no access to basic services of the government.”
