News

In line with the International Day for People with Disabilities celebrations, South African National Parks (SANParks) Head of Human Capital, Philiswa Mahlangu officially launched the SANParks Forum for People with Disabilities on behalf of Management on 3 December 2016 in Skukuza.

The Forum, which is aimed at supporting both staff and tourists living with disabilities, strives to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in employment, identifying and managing barriers to equal access to opportunities, career advancement and retention; and ultimately creating a non-discriminatory and inclusive workplace culture.

“It is a reality that people living with disabilities are still being discriminated against in some areas of our society, including in the workplace. Some people are born with a disability; some get sick or have an accident that results in a disability whilst some develop disabilities as they age or at some point in their lives. SANParks strives to play a part in breaking down these barriers and ensure that the stigma or perception attached to disabilities diminishes. We therefore hope that this launch will increase awareness, understanding and improve attitudes towards the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities”, said Mahlangu.

Research by the National Department of Tourism states that tourism products must be designed with the sole purpose of being enjoyed by all tourists i.e. young, elderly and people with disabilities. One of the SANParks” objectives is to increase the representation of people leaving with disabilities in its workforce from the current 1,7% to 2% by the end of the 2016/ 2017 financial year.

“As SANParks we place commitment to equity and diversity and we can only achieve this if the organization itself is more inclusive for its staff, tourists and members of society”, concluded Mahlangu.

Head of Human Capital Management – SANParks, Philiswa Mahlangu was the first person to sign the pledge to symbolize SANParks” commitment in recognizing the Persons with Disabilities. Next to sign the pledge (with her) is the KNP Managing Executive, Glenn Phillips.

Ms Philiswa Mahlangu and Mr Glenn Phillips presenting the signed pledge document with signatures from all the SANParks forum members and guest speakers of the day.

Clockwise: SANParks staff members present the pledge: Rodney Lucas – SANParks Corporate Manager: Transformation, Norman Sanderson – SANParks General Manager: Labour Relations, SANParks Head of Human Capital Management – Philiswa Mahlangu, KNP Managing Executive – Glenn Phillips, SANParks Transformation Practitioner – Solly Shakwane and from Tourism at Golden Gate National Park is Esther Khatite.

Issued jointly by:
South African National Parks (SANParks) Corporate Communications & KNP

Media Enquiries:
William Mabasa
SANParks Acting Head of Communications
Tel: 013 735 4363/ 012 426 5170; Cell: 082 807 3919
Email: [email protected]