President Jacob Zuma’s decision to transfer the support system for disabled people to the social development department was tantamount to pigeonholing disability, the Disabled People SA (DPSA), Olwethu Sipuka told Transform SA.
Sipuka explained that disabled people deserved better than handouts. “Disability is not about social grants. Once you pigeonhole disability into social development you are merely saying the only thing disabled people deserve are social grants,”he said pointing out that disabled people wanted to be enabled to work, feed their families, built their own houses.
To the DPSA, Zuma has tried to fix what is not broken. Prior to 2007, the disabled had a ministry within the Presidency, an arrangement which was functioning effectively.