Commissioner Malatji conducts inspections of special needs schools to observe if compliance with the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disability

The office of Commissioner Malatji has the mandate to promote and protect the rights of persons with disability. Recognizing that children with disability will be unable to participate fully in the society if attitudinal and environmental barriers are not removed, the Commissioner is passionate about ensuring that rights of children with disabilities are protected and promoted.

In line with this, the Commissioner meets with various stakeholders to promote the rights of children with disability. One of such meeting is the meeting with Deaf Kidz International on the 14th of October 2014. The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the challenges faced by deaf children in South Africa and recommend solutions on how to ease these challenges in collaboration with Deaf Kidz International.

The Commissioner also conducts inspections of special needs schools to observe if these schools comply with the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disability. In September 2014, the Commissioner visited Tshilidzini Special School, Letaba Special School, Bosele Special School and Setotolwane Special School in Limpopo Province. The Commission after the visit believes that there is more that needs to be done in guaranteeing that children with disabilities are provided with quality education that is their basic right. The Commission intends to institute an investigation into possible violation of human rights against the children in these schools.