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The Democratic Alliance in the NCOP calls on the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Social Services to urgently start the process to give effect to the domestic and international commitments South Africa has to people living with disabilities, to ensure inclusion after the NCOP passed a DA motion on terminology to empower people living with disabilities in South Africa.

This comes at a time when over 7.5% of South Africa’s population lives with a disability, yet systemic barriers, policy gaps, and societal attitudes continue to exclude millions from fully participating in economic, educational, and civic life. Children with disabilities are twice as likely to be out of school as their peers, and adults with disabilities face unemployment rates of over 60%, far exceeding the national average.

Despite the constitutional guarantees under Sections 9 and 10 of our Constitution, and South Africa’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), there is no standalone national disability rights legislation in South Africa. The 2015 White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is yet to be fully implemented, and disability-led organisations remain chronically under-resourced.

In a Motion Without Notice which was tabled in the National Council of Provinces, the DA called for:

• Inclusive terminology, such as “Differently Abled People”, to replace disempowering language in government communications;
• Respect for inherent dignity and equality, in line with Section 10 of the Constitution; and
• Targeted legislative reform that actively dismantles structural barriers.

With this DA Motion passed by the NCOP, the DA now calls on the NCOP to initiate a set of “terms of reference” to implement the changing of the terminology through all provinces through the Select Committee on Social Services, for the inclusion of differently abled people, in all 9 provinces.

We want to see the NCOP Select Committee provide all nine provinces with clear terms of reference to ensure disability inclusion.

As a constitutional democracy we cannot allow millions of differently abled persons to remain excluded from the opportunities they should be able to access, which give dignity and ensure equality. Parliament must act - not in years to come, but in this term.

Issued by Dr Igor Scheurkogel MP - DA Member of Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration