M’sane bid for better services for disabled

Access pathways and ramps for municipal offices

RESIDENTS living with disabilities in Mdantsane will soon have access to municipal offices after years of struggling without wheelchairfriendly facilities.

The construction of access pathways and wheelchair ramps will be done during the current financial year, Buffalo City Metro mayor Xola Pakati announced last week. He said this was part of the metro’s programme of making services more accessible to people with disabilities.

The construction will be done at municipal offices in NU2, 4, 6, 7, 11, 14 and 16, Pakati told hundreds of residents in Mdantsane last week.

BCM spokeswoman Bathandwa Diamond said R1-million had been set aside for the project.

The disabled community has welcomed the initiative, saying it is long overdue.

Disabled People Committee chairman and ward 11 resident Gibson Qobosha said: “Access is a very critical issue for us, not just in municipal offices but in residential areas too, so this is a start of something progressive.

“I live in a shack and when it rains I can’t access the communal toilets, my legs don’t work and I use a walking stick for assistance – we need houses.”

A wheelchair-bound ward committee member from NU9, Vuyiswa Mqolombeni, 47, said she was saddened that her ward was not part of the programme.

“My wheelchair is broken now, every time I go to work it is a struggle for me,” she said.

“About four men have to assist me to get to the office. Other disabled people who can’t access the office are helped outside the office because we are not catered for. We

While other units were mentioned to benefit from the programme, ward 30 councillor Nomonde Moyikwa, who works in NU9’s rent office, expressed disappointment about the exclusion of her ward.

“We have not heard anything about this and that is really sad because we struggle on a daily basis with access to the office.

“We have a ward committee member who is wheelchair-bound and every day she struggles to come to work because there are no ramps to accommodate her and many other residents who are living with different disabilities.”

Ward 48 councillor Vuyiswa Mpanza, who works in the NU8 and NU11 municipal offices, said work had already started in NU8 but not yet in NU11.

“All rent offices need to be accessible to everyone. We need the development even in NU11 because that is where most residents pay for municipal services,” Mpanza said.

Ward 11 councillor Mashwabada Gcilishe said measurements and specifics were taken by a team of workers yesterday at his office in preparation for the work.

“Workers have already come to my office. [On Tuesday] there was a site visit and [yesterday] measurements were taken. The contractor will be introduced to me next week before work can finally start and we look forward to that.

“We want disabled people to also be accommodated as they come to the office for a number of services, including documents that need to be signed by the ward councillor and other municipalrelated problems,” Gcilishe said.

Diamond said: “This comes as an effort by BCM to give all communities in the metro equal access to municipal facilities.

“The matter is, however, in the procurement stage and the project will start as soon as procurement is finalised, starting with NU2 and NU5.”

Diamond said the project should be completed by June next year. — also want to be included.”