- The Qhakaza Disability Group gathered at Chris Hani Community Hall in Mfuleni on 15 February to celebrate Valentine’s Day and promote visibility for people with disabilities.
- Deputy chair Zamikhaya Kondile emphasized the need to break stigmas, encouraging families to integrate disabled individuals into society and dispelling misconceptions about exploitation.
- The event also marked Qhakaza’s third anniversary, with members urging disabled individuals to join support groups and be active in their communities.
Members of the Qhakaza Disability Group converged on Chris Hani Community Hall in Mfuleni on Saturday 15 February to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Zamikhaya Kondile, deputy chair of the non-profit, which advocates for the rights of people living with disabilities, described the gathering as social. He said besides celebrating Valentine’s Day the aim was for Qhakaza to showcase its visibility in the community.
“The organisation has members nationwide. We are trying to extend it as far as we can. We felt there was a need to celebrate, to show the public that we are loved and have partners. We are trying to remove a stigma about us, that we are useless”.
He also wished to dispel the notion that disabled people are exploitable; for example, there’s the remote possibility that someone who dates them is merely after their grant allowance.
Kondile appealed to families not to keep their disabled children indoors, but to allow them to be children and play with others their age. He said Qhakaza has support groups for people to share their challenges and motivate one another.
Group member Thandie Jonas, from Mau-Mau in Nyanga, said besides Valentine’s Day the organisation was also celebrating the third anniversary of its founding, on 14 January 2022. “We want all disabled people to form groups or join existing groups in their area,” she said. “Let us not be ashamed of who we are. Let’s be active in our societies so people will see and recognise us.”