‘Fines must be imposed’: Progress noted as Mpumalanga health employs disabled workers, but gaps remain

Disabled People South Africa (DPSA) is commending the Mpumalanga department of health for employing more than 20 persons with disabilities, but an expert says it’s not enough.

DPSA national chair Patrick Mahlakwane said it was commendable that the department was committed to employing disabled persons as required by the law.

“As DPSA, we would like to thank the department for employing 21 persons with disabilities. This is a good example. We wish that all departments in different provinces would do the same.

“We also want to see that happening in the parastatals and municipalities. This is how we will reduce the government’s burden of paying disability grants, as these persons with disabilities will then be contributing to the economy of the country.”

Longstanding advocacy for inclusion

Mahlakwane is one of the activists who have been pushing the Mpumalanga government to employ disabled people.

Years ago, he criticised the health department for claiming that it had not funded businesses owned by disabled people because they were not registered on the government’s central database.

He said if the government was serious about locating these people, they could have contacted him.

The province is still lagging behind because, by law, its employment force should comprise 3% of disabled people.

In their latest Third Quarter Performance Report submitted to the portfolio committee on health, the Mpumalanga department of health said the figure has fallen to below 2% on the employment of persons with disabilities within their internal structures.

The department of employment and labour is authorised to fine departments or organisations that fail to meet this requirement.

Calls for accountability

Bosman Grobler, a DA member of the Mpumalanga legislature, said his party has written to the department of labour asking them to fine the department of health for failing to reach the equity target for employment of disabled people.

“This is not the first time the Mpumalanga government has been accused of failing people with disabilities in terms of employment and business opportunities.

“Last year, the office of premier Mandla Ndlovu reported that they budgeted R100 million to support businesses owned by young people with disabilities. They also said that they could not find any registered businesses of persons with disabilities from the central database to do business with.”

‘Fines must be imposed’

Disability activist Dolfred Sihlangu said the process of employing disabled people needed to speed up.

Sihlangu added that the government must be serious about penalising the entities that fail to uphold the law.

The public and private institutions and companies failing to reach the set minimum target for the employment of persons with disabilities must be penalised, he said.

This is laid down in the Employment Equity Act of 1998, he added.

“It is clear that fines must be imposed on employers. So far, we have never heard of any employer who has been penalised for this.

“It is clear that nothing will be done about such failures. The department of labour and employment will do nothing.”

Department cites hiring challenges

Mpumalanga health spokesperson Dumisane Malamule said the department was improving in terms of employing people living with disability.

“In February, we employed 21 disabled people. The majority of our employees are health professionals and it is always a challenge to find applicants for health professions with disability. Hence in February we prioritised them for administration posts.”