Lobby group urges intervention over disabled coordinator’s plight

A disability lobby group in Mpumalanga has accused the Ehlanzeni district municipality of sabotaging projects aimed at assisting disabled persons.

Wilson Mogane, chair of the Ehlanzeni Disability Forum, says the municipality’s disability desk coordinator, Dolfread Sihlangu, has been unable to perform his duties since January after his personal assistant (PA) was fired and not replaced.

Sihlangu is blind and needs an assistant

Mogane says Sihlangu is blind and needs an assistant.

“The current crisis is hard for us because as an organisation we can’t be able to play our role, as we need the disability desk approval in anything that we do,” he said.

“We were hoping that the PA for Mr Sihlangu will be replaced as soon as possible but the municipality decided not to do so.”

“Mr Sihlangu is blind and he cannot be able to execute his task without the assistance of the PA.

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“Every project that we do needs his approval and he cannot be able to do that without the assistance of the PA.

“Recently, we wanted to deliver some printing machines for the partially impaired pupils at one of the schools in the province but we failed to do so because the coordinator’s office is not functioning.”

Letter written to Cogta asking for intervention

Mogane said after trying to convince the municipality to employ a new PA, they had written a letter to the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) provincial office asking them to intervene.

The letter was sent on 16 February but nothing had been done to address the issue.

“The Ehlanzeni Disability Forum is hereby kindly requesting urgent intervention on the above-mentioned matter from you. Mr Sihlangu, the disability coordinator, is a blind gentleman. He has been appointed by the municipality in November 2017. He has not been provided with the full-time personal assistant after he is appointed part of the reasonable accommodation at the workplace,” the letter read.

The letter stated that from May 2018 to November 2023, Sihlangu had been serviced by a PA, whose contract had been renewed more than three times until it was terminated on 30 November 2023.

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“Currently, he is going to work daily, but he is not performing his employment duties due to nonappointment of the personal assistant for him.”

Not getting necessary attention

According to the letter, the forum has reported the matter to all the relevant stakeholders but it was not getting the necessary attention.

“We have attempted to engage the relevant stakeholders. Unfortunately, it has not promised that the matter will be attended to.

“We are aware that our disability coordinator has been many times victimised about the matter.

“We have heard that Sihlangu tried in vain to convince the employer.

“It is of our interest as the disability forum to get a solution for our disability coordinator…”

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Sihlangu could not perform his job

A source in the municipality has confirmed that since January, Sihlangu had been going to the office but could not perform his job.

When contacted for comment, Sihlangu would not deny nor agree that his office had been inactive for eight months.

“It is hard for me to comment because I am not allowed to talk to the media,” he said.

Cogta provincial spokesperson Lindiwe Msibi confirmed the forum had contacted them for assistance.

“We are busy attending to the matter and we will update you about the development.”