Chinhoyi – THERE are two types of funds within the disability sector, which are
governed through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
There is the disability grant, which is given monthly to the people with disabilities who
will have undergone screening processes by the Department of Social Services, so that
it can be determined if they are entitled to benefit from the funds.
A survey by Mashonaland West Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, showed that
this fund has been a source of considerable anguish for quite a long time because it has
not been meeting the needs of people with disabilities.
Mashonaland West Acting Chairperson of Hope in Motion Organisations of Persons
with Disabilities, Pedzisai Mangayi said:
“But after the 2008 -2009 it became a challenge of accessing these funds. The last time
I heard about it, it was around US$20 and only a few people could manage on it.
“With those interest charges from the banks, one could see that people from rural areas
did not come and get their money because they were eroded by inflation, the transport
fare was higher than the money they collected from the banks,” he said.
During the Covid-19 era persons with disabilities were among those vulnerable groups
which were supposed to benefit but the majority did not get that money.
“Those who got it, were getting RTGS $35 000, which depreciated and lost value.
The Hope in Motion official added that there was little else to assist people on disability
funds and that life was becoming unbearable, which in part explains the increasing
number of persons with disabilities begging on the streets, while others had become
vendors.
“There is a high number of them who are vendors, and most persons with disabilities,
who require assistive devices in their day-to-day lives have been the hardest hit.
“Also, there is nothing in terms of social protection which is coming out to those people,
although the department might be saying that they are assisting these people,” said
Mangayi.
“There is nothing when over almost 95-98 percent are getting nothing in terms of
disability public assistance from the Department of Social Services, then one wonders
whether the Ministry of Finance is releasing funds budgeted for the Ministry of Public
Services, Labour and Social Services, particularly to the Department of Disability, which
assists the public.
“Persons with disabilities are having a raw deal in terms of getting public assistance –
that is something we have been wondering about. As an organisation, we are now
looking at how best, we can empower people with disabilities.
“It is much better if the focus shifts from receiving public assistance on a monthly basis
to empowering them with skills so that they cushion themselves in terms of hyper
inflation and this hard economic environment we are living in.”
