Open letter to President E.D. Mnangagwa

By Weston Mupfururirwa

13^th September 2019

The care for the disabled in our country

After reading all your campaign billboards and listening to your rally speeches I can’t help but notice that you have never addressed the plight of the disabled people in our country, Zimbabwe. The disabled have been marginalized and little help is available for them in making their day to day lives easier.

With ample political will, a lot could be done to accommodate the needs of the disabled in our society. For example, efforts could be made to breed guide dogs trained to the same, if not higher, standards than police dogs. This could go a long way in making the life of the visually impaired or blind much easier.

Jairos Jiri dedicated his life towards looking after the disabled but since his death, the government hasn’t done much to improve the lives of the disabled especially considering that we are now in the 21st century. Many disabled people are still crawling from point A to B in the course of their day to day lives. Government has the wherewithal to address this. For example, wheelchairs could be procured for them for free or at subsidized costs.

A lot of public toilets are still not disabled-friendly. Same goes for public transport and buildings.

When you shout your slogan ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ consider the care of the disadvantaged people in your country first before engaging in business with other countries.

Get your priorities right Mr President. We are not at war with any country. Therefore arms and ammunition should not take precedence over the needs of the people of Zimbabwe, the disabled included. Our disabled people matter.

Weston Mupfururirwa is a Zimbabwean human rights activist based in the United Kingdom.

He can be contacted by email via westonmupfururirwa@gmail.com