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The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), has embarked in a nationwide campaign to spread awareness about the Disability Bill that was gazetted on February 9, last month, by engaging disabled persons across provinces to ensure that their concerns are included in the bill when it eventually passes into law.
Currently, the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), a subsidiary of the ZCC, is conducting dialogue meetings with persons living with disabilities in rural areas of Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands, Masvingo, Manicaland and Mashonaland Central provinces, which constitute 77 percent of the total number of people living with disabilities.
The meetings are meant to provide a platform for persons with disabilities to identify and discuss their aspirations, concerns and needs so that they are included in the Bill.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing meetings, ZCC Local Ecumenical Fellowship Leader in Masvingo Province, Reverant Gracious Nyabonda, said the disability bill will allow communities to understand and show more empathy to the people living with disabilities.
“The Disability Bill recognizes and respects the persons with disability. The thrust is to brings to attention the needs of the disabled even to people without disabilities so that they treat their disabled counterparts in a human way. I’m sure it even enables the community to ensure the environment is safe,” she said.
Disability Amalgamation Community Trust (DACT) Director Mr. Henry Chivhanga said that although the Bill is of great importance, more needs to be addressed to ensure that when it is signed into law, it will benefit persons living with disabilities.
“The Bill has loopholes that need attention. The first one is when it was gazetted, we didn’t have time to scrutinize it. For example, it was not put in sign language, so this is one of the issues that need to be addressed,” he explained.
The Zimbabwe National League of the Blind Representative Mr. Paul Gumbo applauded the Bill, while also applauding the ZCC for spreading awareness to rural communities about the structure of the Bill.
“As people with disabilities, we are happy about the Bill gazetted in parliament on February 9. It has things that if some of its sections are put into action, it will benefit us. We want to thank the ZCC for their awareness campaigns to persons with disabilities in all provinces, and we appreciate the job that the church is doing,” said Gumbo.
The 2023 Disability Bill aims to enhance the inclusivity of persons living with disabilities in mainstream socio-economic and political spheres, as they have been perennially living in the peripheries of society.
The Bill is also aimed at operationalizing the National Disability Policy, aligning it with the 2013 Constitution, which will harmonize and repeal some sections of the 1992 Disabled Persons Act.