BY OWETHU DLAMINI
MBABANE – “The municipality promotes inclusive living.”
These were words shared by the Municipal Council of Mbabane Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lucky Tsabedze, speaking on the clearing of sidewalks for the inclusivity and accommodation of people living with disabilities within the Central Business District (CBD).
Tsabedze stated that the initiative was taken after observations from continuous engagements with stakeholders. The observations confirmed that certain areas of the city were creating challenges for people living with disabilities.
“The relocation of certain features near sidewalks comes after an observation that people living with vision impairment may have challenges with full access on our streets due to having a couple of obstacles. The features that are being relocated have been identified as those causing challenges.
“These changes are meant to improve the experience of all our residents as the municipality promotes inclusive living. All our residents are important and should have full access to all corners of the city,” said Tsabedze.
Asked what other changes were being made in the city to allow the inclusivity of everybody and proper access to all parts, Tsabedze stated that certain areas of the city were being improved, fixing what had been damaged and adding onto what was already available.
“Other changes include the addition of ramps for wheelchairs to easily move from sidewalks onto streets, plus parking spaces that are strictly designated for use by people living with disabilities. We are also looking into levelling or fixing sidewalks that may be destroyed or are broken,” said Tsabedze.
Photos by Municipal Council of Mbabane.
