Inclusion of PWD in policy making the way to go
Dumisani Ndlovu 
Despite Zimbabwe having made significant strides in promoting the rights of the disabled persons in the country coming up with the National Disability Policy officially launched by His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa in June 2021, gave much anticipation to people with disabilities, anticipating that society would appreciate disability rights and assist them to address inclusionary practices.
Regrettably, three years later and forty-three years into independence, people with disability continue to face discrimination and challenges in accessing services such as education, and health and this has often limited their participation in mainstream society.
In separate interviews, People With Disabilities (PWD) urged the Government to consider them in policy making process in order to address their marginalization and discrimination in society.
In June 2021, Zimbabwe launched the national disability policy, developed with support from various stakeholders including the United Nations. The policy addresses the marginalization and discrimination of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) while also empowering them to improve their quality of life.
In an interview with Kwedu News, Mberengwa and Zvishavane Association for the Disabled and Elderly Persons of Zimbabwe, Primrose Nyangoni who showered praises to President Mnangagwa for the availing the Disability Policy, she however said People living with disabilities are facing huge challenges to survive in Zimbabwe’s rural areas as they do not have access to smart bones and internet and are not aware of the policies that support them.
“While we highly appreciate developments in the disability sector, since the launch of the Disability policy, people with disabilities in rural areas do not have access to information, even if there be a bill for people with disabilities, most of them do not have access to simple phones, let alone internet,” she said while confirming the situation is bad for almost everyone in the country but dire for people living with disabilities.
She added that, disability is a cross cutting issue which requires every Government department to have a disability desk that helps them to access any information they need and participate in different activities across the country.
Visually impaired Midlands Association for the Promotion of the Rights and Welfare of the Blind (MAPRORIWEB) official, Belinder Musesengwe from Gweru echoed the same sentiments adding that policies should be followed upon to check progress on inclusion of people with disabilities.
“Zimbabwe is one of the most progressive countries in advocating for disability rights, according to UNESCO. However, more still needs to be done in implementing the policies, follow ups have not been done to oversee welfare of people with disabilities,” Musesengwe cautiously said.
The seemingly emotional Musesengwe said if the government is very serious about PWDs’ active participation in the political and public life, it must come up with guidelines for the political participation of persons with disabilities.
“While we want to participate in elections. There is a need for resources, most people from the disability constituency are financially disadvantaged. If we get support (resource-wise) and if we have our own resources of income and also get leadership positions we can emancipate ourselves and become economically independent,” Musesengwe said.
According to UNESCO, it is estimated that at least 1,4 million people have a form of disability in Zimbabwe and several of them have not been involved in national development activities.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe states that government institutions should promote equitable development through promoting self-reliance and private initiatives to people with disabilities.
The launch of the policy, the hosting of the National Disability Expo in 2021, and coming up with an all-inclusive 2022 independence theme.
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