Govt moves to enact Disabled Persons’ Act

Government will soon enact a modern, clear and streamlined law to tackle discrimination of people living with disability, Social Welfare deputy minister Tapiwa Matangaidze has said.

Currently, there are no legal regulations on Zimbabwe’s statutes specific to disabled people only.

Matangaidze told the National Assembly on Wednesday that government was working on a law that will promote equal and active participation of all people living with disability and outlaw unfavourable treatment of the disabled.

He said there were several on-going initiatives the ministry was taking up to specifically target the disabled and provide protection for everyone in Zimbabwe against discrimination based on disability.

At least 10 percent of Zimbabwe’s 13 million-plus population is living with disabilities.

“We are in a process right now to come up with principles which will be governing the establishment of the Disabled Persons’ Act,” Matangaidze said.

“The outreach programme has already been taken to six of the 10 provinces.

“We believe that in the next few months, we should be able to have gathered enough information that will speak to the new Disabled Persons’ Act,” he said.

“I hope that that will adequately address those issues.  In the interim, the policies that we have, which target vulnerable people deliberately, have an affirmative action towards the disabled persons,” the Shurugwi North Zanu PF MP said. Daily News