Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga launches Disability Rights Awareness Month, 16 Oct
The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, will officially launch Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) on Friday, 16 October 2026, in Pretoria, Gauteng. The launch will be marked by a Disability Rights Awareness Walk by persons with disabilities from Church Square in the Pretoria city Centre to the Union Buildings, bringing together government representatives, organisations of persons with disabilities, civil society, disability rights advocates and other stakeholders to raise awareness about the rights, dignity, equality and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Members of the media are invited to cover the launch of DRAM and the Disability Awareness Walk as follows:
- Date: Friday, 16 October 2026
- Event: Launch of Disability Rights Awareness Month 2026
- Starting point: Church Square, Pretoria
- Destination: Union Buildings, Pretoria
- Route: The awareness walk will proceed from Church Square through the Pretoria city centre towards the Union Buildings.
- Media arrival from 08:00
The awareness walk seeks to reaffirm that persons with disabilities are equal rights-holders who must enjoy the same human rights, fundamental freedoms and opportunities as everyone else. It will also highlight the responsibility of government, the private sector, communities and society at large to dismantle barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from participating fully and equally in all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life.
The campaign is grounded in South Africa’s constitutional commitment to equality and nondiscrimination, the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). These frameworks call for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and the creation of an inclusive society in which accessibility, reasonable accommodation, independent living and meaningful participation are upheld.
Through Disability Rights Awareness Month, the Department seeks to strengthen public understanding of disability rights, challenge stigma and discrimination, promote accessible public spaces and services, and encourage coordinated action to advance the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the implementation of national development priorities.
Media Enquiries:
Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. Head of Communication
Mr Cassius Selala
Cell: 060 534 0672
#GovZAUpdates
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