BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla, working with relevant stakeholders, has officially launched the Eswatini Disability Plan of Action of 2024-2028 yesterday (Wednesday, June 12, 2024) at The George Hotel, Manzini.
The aim of the plan of is to ensure that the people with disabilities are empowered to fully exercise those rights and enjoy equal participation in life of communities in which they live in, without discrimination of any kind based on their disability status.
Another purpose of the plan is to ensure that national policies and development programmes mainstream disability issues in all stages of planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting. It is also aiming at promoting and protecting the fundamental rights of all persons with disabilities.
Speaking during the event, Dladla said the plan, which she described as wonderful, needed to be implemented. She even hinted that there could be other areas to be implemented, without much use of money.
“We all need to embrace and implement this wonderful plan. We can all identify activities that do not need budget and start implementing. I would like to appreciate all the parents who did the right thing and embraced their children with disabilities,” Dladla said.
She also launched other disability resource materials such as Handbook on Disability Mainstreaming and Disability Inclusive Budgeting and Service Directory for and of Persons with Disabilities in Eswatini.
Other speakers included Manzini Regional Administrator Chief Gija, Project Coordinator Sindisiwe Dube, FODSWA President Bongani Makama, National Advisory Council Chairperson Dr. Ngcebo Mbuli and Memory Zulu from UNESCO.
