AU member states have signed rights protocol.

or officials with disabilities.

“We must respect people with disabilities and do nothing about [them] without [them],” she said.

Majodina’s call came as Africa was identified as one continent still behind when it came to female representation and promotion of people with disabilities within the states’ respective public institutions.

However, progress had been made in some areas, including the elections of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the first female chairperson of the Africa Union Commission until her term ended in January 2017.

Dlamini-Zuma contested and lost against President Cyril Ramaphosa for the ANC presidency, a precursor towards becoming the country’s president.

Besides the current president of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, other female former African presidents included Liberia’s then Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Joyce Banda of Malawi and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius. There had been a string of female acting presidents at several African states.

Majodina, who was speaking during the debate of the PAP’s committee on gender, family, youth and people with disability’s report on the Draft Model Disability Law, called for concrete action by PAP. She said the parliament must set aside a day of accountability to check on the progress made in the ratification of the AU protocol on rights and disabilities.

Only five AU members states, out of 55 have signed the protocol but none have ratified it yet. Those who signed are Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, South Africa and Togo. South Africa ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities in 2007 and has embarked on a structured process to embed the obligations in law and policies.

Former minister of justice Michael Masutha is partially blind while Deputy Minister of Social Development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu is also partially blind. –

Ex minminister, current deputy are blind.