Disabled people not cash cow products

There is a general misconception that for one to qualify to be a slave, one has to be an able-bodied person, strong enough so that he/she must be able to provide hard labour to the slave master. According to this logic disabled people regardless of the nature of their disability, are incapable of being turned into slaves. Yet the painful truth is that some people with disabilities in Zimbabwe have been turned into what is referred to as cash cow products through slavery. Slavery comes in different forms and it is non discriminatory.

Money spinner slaves

In Zimbabwe, an unprecedented poverty mainly caused by the political and economic problems during the past decade, taught people to be innovative to such an extent that even the disabled people have been turned into money spinner slaves. Slavery now comes in different forms. It is now common in Zimbabwe to find very severely disabled people strategically planted by their relatives at the corners of buildings in the city centre for the purpose of raising funds. Some of these disabled people are incapable of holding a plate or a tin or to stand on their legs. Some are not able to speak a single word as a result of speech disability.

One thing is certain though, these unfortunate disabled persons are not difficult to transform into productive slaves. Therefore the plate or tin is placed very close to the poor severely disabled person so that sympathetic passers by may drop some coins in the tin or plate. These disabled people are left at these strategic places by their relatives every morning and then picked every evening. However, the disabled person needs to be hungry so that their appearance properly projects suffering so as to attract sympathy from the public. At times they, the disabled slaves are made to resemble tourists attractions. This is done by exposing the most severely disabled part of their limbs so that members of the public flock to look at them in awe and sympathy.

Beneficiaries

The question often asked by some concerned citizens is: who is the direct beneficiary of funds raised through this method? Is it the poor disabled person or the master, a relative who would have placed that disabled person at that corner of a busy street who gets the lions share? It is obvious that the poor disabled person is never privy to the total amount he/she would have raised. In fact the amount so raised does not belong to that disabled person. This brutal abuse of innocent citizens has been taking place with the tacit approval by the government.

Above all, this happens despite the existence of the Disabled Persons Act, DPA. This is not the same as begging because in begging the person (the beggar is) the one who decides as to when, how and where to go for begging. An ordinary beggar decides how to use the amount he/she would have raised. A beggar is capable of determining how much he/she would have risen.

Although begging has never been legally condoned by modern societies; in present day Zimbabwe, no rational person can condemn begging by persons with disabilities. Begging is considered as a normal way raising some income. There is also a misconception that begging is an enjoyable venture. It is not a passion and it will never be a hobby. It must be noted that even those who are involved in begging do not enjoy it. It is simply a last resort to the oppressed, marginalized and unemployed disabled persons. Begging is an embarrassment even to the beggar himself/herself. It is more embarrassing if one becomes a professional beggar in a foreign country. For instance the majority of disabled beggars that are seen in streets of South Africa are Zimbabweans. Some call them expatriate, Makwerekwere or Diaspora beggars.

The xenophobic violence that has been continually taking place in that country has been claiming the lives of the disabled beggars as well. It is very rare to see South African disabled citizens begging in the street of that country. In South Africa every disabled person is entitled to monthly disability grant of not less than (R1040) one thousand and forty Rand. South Africa and Namibia to some extent are the only states that are known to provide its disabled citizen with a monetary disability grant in the whole of SADC region.

Abuse

It is not Zimbabwe alone which has witnessed such abuse of disabled people. Researched evidence discovered the following in Nigeria: seeing the ragged disabled people begging on the street of Lagos elicits sympathy from the passers-by so that they go as far as dipping their hands into their lean pockets to give alms to the beggars. It is therefore disheartening to know that these so-called unfortunate members of society, who have no choice but to go on the streets to beg, are actually planted by able-bodied people who go to remote villages and lure disabled people to Lagos on the pretext that they want to help them. These unsuspecting disabled people are kept at various strategic points on the streets in the most pathetic conditions to draw out the greatest amount of sympathy. Their managers, who live in comfort in posh houses, now organize vendors to supply food to their money-making beasts. The beggars give their daily proceeds to their managers. (UN Exposure document page 9).

Before the economic meltdown Zimbabwe also used to provide its disabled citizens with a monthly income officially known as public assistance. Now the government does give US$20 per month person per family; not per person. Not all disabled people in Zimbabwe receive this amount and those who receive the amount never get it every month. For those in remote areas it is never a simple task to access the amount. Firstly one must open a bank account so that the money is deposited in that account. Therefore one needs to raise the amount to open a bank account and you are never certain that government will approve your application for public assistance.

Secondly, for some disabled persons particularly those in rural areas, the nearest Post Office or nearest commercial bank is over hundred kilometers away. One has to spend over US 20 in traveling expenses in order to collect US$20. For some severely disabled persons it is always impossible for them to travel alone, therefore these fellow disabled spend double the amount in traveling costs for a trip to collect public assistance; thus bus fair for the disabled and the other bus fair for the assistant meaning that over US$40 is spent on transport in order to collect only US$20 from the bank. Obviously, because of such problems, disabled people; the majority of whom stay in rural areas are excluded from accessing the public assistance. Thirdly as a result of a common and internationally disease called discirminiation, public transport is never easily accessible to disabled people everywhere in Zimbabwe, let alone in rural areas.

Grants

For many years disabled people have been asking government to give them a monthly disability grant equal to the poverty datum line. With the political will from the government this is not an impossible task. Zimbabweans still have to do more before it qualify to be an inclusive society. At present there is no visible equality between the disabled and the non disabled in all spheres of life.

More talk and less action

What is offending to the disabled persons is that for years, there has been a lot of good talk on disability and development by nearly all politicians and very senior government officials with no action. Even the inclusive government has been clueless as how to respond to our legitimate concerns. Disabled people are tired of endless empty promises from government officials. Now you Zimbabwes government politician or official where ever you are, please listen and take note of this: Many disabled people now take your empty promises as tasteless and nauseating jokes

Editors note: Watson Khupe is a disability activist and researcher who works and lives in Bulawayo.