The disabled mustn’t be left behind – MMC Vondo

04-12-2014

 

People with disabilities should enjoy the same benefits as their abled-bodied counterparts, Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development Councillor Chris Vondo said at the weekend.
 

MMC Vondo was speaking during an event to mark the National Day of People Living with Disabilities at Marks Park Recreational Sport Centre in Emmarentia on Friday.
 

The International Day of the Disabled is held on December 3 every year. However, the City of Johannesburg has now taken a conscious decision to celebrate it on December 5 to coincide with the day the country lost its internationally revered founding father – former president Mandela. 
 

Madiba died on December 5 last year at the age of 95.

The function was also aimed at celebrating City employees with disabilities.

In his address, MMC Vondo said the City was committed to the creation of an environment in which no one was “left out in the cold”.

“We owe it to the sacrifices of our leaders, among them former president Nelson Mandela, stalwarts Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo and many others. They sacrificed their lives and fought for an integrated society that did not exclude anyone. The City of Joburg cannot be seen to be betraying this noble ideal,” said MMC Vondo.

The MMC said there were ongoing efforts to make the City a liveable place that catered for the needs of everyone, including people with disabilities.
 

MMC Vondo said some of those who today were living with disabilities had acquired their condition while pursuing the fight for a better life. 

MMC Vondo said he hoped all City officials had, within their specific environments, sustainable programmes that catered for people living with disabilities. 
 

“The programmes should not only be about handing out T-shirts on occasions such as this. The assistance to people with disabilities should be a commitment that forms one’s daily life,” he said. 
 

The MMC said the City was not only about service delivery but also about the development of people. 

The proceedings – held under the theme: “I Commit to a Healthy Lifestyle; Get Healthy, Get Active, Feel Good” – included a demonstration of blind cycling. Participants were also a given a talk on healthy living. 

This was particularly relevant to those who are wheelchair-bound as the prospects for gaining weight is an ever present threat.