The DA in Elias Motsoaledi has written to the Municipal Manager, Mathope Mohlala, to prioritise the employment of persons living with disabilities and to provide comprehensive information on the employment statistics in the municipality.
Elias Motsoaledi local municipality has more than 400 permanent staff, however, none of them are people with disabilities. The Community Works Programme (CWP) has also employed more than 1080 people and none are living with disability. The EPWP has also employed more than 470 people, but once again the municipality failed to employ any individuals living with disability.
The municipality recently employed a Disability Coordinator without advertising the post. The municipality missed yet another opportunity to empower disabled people by appointing a person with disability who is familiar with the challenges they face.
The continued disregard of people with disabilities in the labour market is unfortunate and unacceptable. People living with disabilities must be employed on the basis of their capability and skills.
We celebrated Human Rights Month in March and Freedom Month in April but people with disabilities in the municipality are still largely excluded from the labour market and from participating in the economy. The municipality has also failed to provide effective support systems for disabled individuals.
The DA is committed to ensuring the integration of people living with disabilities into employment and economic opportunities. ANC led Elias Motsoaledi municipality’s failure to empower persons living with disabilities remains concerning.