THE eThekwini Municipality has said a “misunderstanding” led to a blind person and their guide dog being denied entry at its Hillcrest offices.

This after a local resident, Adrienne Regester (68) who has lived with “very little” eyesight since birth, and now relies on a guide dog, said she had a “difficult” experience at the offices when she was recently refused entry because of her service companion.

The municipality’s Marketing and Communications Director Mandla Nsele said the misunderstanding stemmed from the dog not being “immediately identified as a guide dog at the time”.

Nsele confirmed that guide and service dogs are allowed in all municipal buildings, including Sizakala Customer Service Centres.

Also read: Blind person with guide dog denied entry at municipality offices

According to Nsele, Regester returned to the offices in Hillcrest a couple days after she and Shadow, her guide dog, had been denied entry, accompanied by the area’s councillor and a representative from the SPCA, “where the matter was addressed and resolved”.

“Apologies were issued by the City and accepted by the client.

“To prevent any recurrence, staff and security personnel at the facility have since been briefed and reminded of the City’s policy on access for guide and service animals.

“The municipality remains committed to ensuring that all residents, including persons living with disabilities, are treated with dignity and supported when accessing City services,” said Nsele.

Regester’s experience has been widely condemned by members of the public and the KZN Blind & Deaf Society.

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