A burning democracy: Considering people with disability

We the people of South Africa are truly resilient! While this is so it is rather telling that President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation speech draws on the uniqueness of fynbos and its dependency on fire for growth and rejuvenation. What the honorable President fails to see is that the flames of injustice have never stopped burning and the rains of democracy have never fallen equally across the land. In this regard, the impact of this pandemic has most certainly not been equal. The suffering of many citizens prior to the pandemic is akin to embers that were fanned into flames by COVID-19. Oppression, dispassion, and injustice never left us; it is only burning brighter now.

In reality, certain peoples of our society have been scorched so much so that growth and rejuvenation are all but impossible. I want to view this speech in relation to the recent debacles around the delivery of the temporary disability grants and the increased levels of unemployment that people with disability (PWD) continue to experience. In the last Census, it was determined that 8 out of 10 people with disabilities remain unemployed. Conservative estimates show that 7.5% of our population are people living with disabilities, while this more likely exceeds 10%. With an unemployment rate now exceeding 30% it is not hard to believe that PWD is going to endure further barriers to becoming economically active through meaningful employment. The veiled commitment to “forge ahead with efforts to provide greater opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in the economy and in society in general” again is a commitment without a clear indication of what is meant by “efforts”. The President and the government might look at the progress and commitment made by “approving a policy that 40% of public procurement should go to women-owned businesses” for some practical solutions. It is this commitment to minoritized groups that must be realized if this government wants to ensure the economic participation and social inclusion of PWD. While it may be a pipedream to expect a policy providing for a fair portion of public procurement to be directed at PWD, we are facing the reality that a larger number of PWD will become reliant on a state grant.

While the President has praised us as citizens for our resilience it is the callousness of a bureaucratic system that concerns me today. The recent debacle around accessing temporary disability grants keeps the President’s flattery in check. Public servants that can allow a system to unceremoniously dump beneficiaries from a grants programme must be reminded that they too play an important part in sustaining the balance in our biome. What commitment to social inclusion is this if a system managed by people has no heart? One day, one week, one month without an income might seem manageable in the lives of the privileged but the impact on PWD with no alternatives are far-reaching. Can the President stand tall and make bold claims to “solidarity and compassion” if suffering like this is made to occur? In my research currently underway exploring the experiences of PWD supported by grants that promote social inclusion, it is clear we are light years away from the President’s dream. For example, the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme can allocate to some PWD that are self-managed anywhere from R45K/ month to over R80K/month to realize true social inclusion. It is not merely a comparison of financial power, but the willingness to prioritize disability inclusion that is commendable. This is not the only example of this kind where some Scandinavian governments finance the full integration of PWD in the workplace.

Mr. President this is a burning democracy. While we support all the efforts to ensure we can rid ourselves of this virus, the ‘real issues’ remain. Inequality must be addressed, and real plans must be put in place. Systems and the people that manage them must understand the pain that is inflicted when they do not perform. People with disabilities face many barriers to full citizenship in our communities and we must do better. So, while the President calls us to embrace the South African spirit to build a new, more equal economy and a just society let us understand who it is that we are building this society for. It is to be built for us all. Those that are continually minoritized must be given the rightful place and the rains of democracy must be spread.