南非的包容之路：成功与局限

South AfricaCountry report with a difference SOUTH AFRICA South Africa’sPath toInclusion:Successesand Picture1–Participants at a DEF-event South Africa is at a crucial point in its inclusive development.Despite legal progress and growing political attention,around 5 per cent of the population continues to face barri-ers to education, employment and participation. At the same Country report with a difference⦁SOUTH AFRICA Initial Situation According to current surveys by Statistics South Africa,around 3.3 million people with disabilities live in South Africa, which corresponds to approximately five percentof the population.1 This figure illustrates that inclusion a whole. Despite important legal progress, access to education, work and social services re-mains limited for many of those affected. The National Development Plan 2030 (South Afri-ca's long-term strategy to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030) explicitly points At the same time, there is a growing awareness that inclusion is an essential component ofsustainable development and democratic participation. The social debate on accessibility,equality and the empowerment of people with disabilities shows that structural changes are Social Context The social reality for people with disabilities in South Africa is characterised by significantstructuralbarriers. This is particularly evident in the field of education. According to data from Statistics South Africa's General Household Survey, around ten per cent of children be-tween the ages of seven and fifteen with special needs do not attend school.3 This propor- In addition to limited school attendance, there are fundamental infrastructural deficits. Dur-ing Child Protection Week 2025, Statistics South Africa highlighted that many schools still lack barrier-free access.4Ramps, lifts and suitable sanitary facilities are often not available or notfunctional. In addition, there is a massive shortage of support services such as speech ther- Country report with a difference⦁SOUTH AFRICA The Stats SA Strategic Plan 2025/26 to 2029/30 also reveals significant regional differences. Families in rural areas often have no access to specialised schools or support services, whichmeans long journeys, high costs and an additional burden on family carers. These unequalconditions reinforce existing social inequalities and make it difficult for children with disabil- Political Framework In recent years, South Africa has laid important political and legal foundations for strength-ening the rights of persons with disabilities. In 2007, the country ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, thereby committing itself to equality, non-discrim-ination and full participation.6 At the institutional level, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities was established in 2009 to coordinate national strategies andpromote programmes for inclusion.7Every year, the government brings the issue to the fore- In various political speeches, President Cyril Ramaphosa has repeatedly emphasised the im-portance of accessibility and participation. At the Transport Summit, he stated that accessi- bility is not a voluntary concession, but a fundamental right.9 In his State of the Nation Ad-dress (the South African president's annual speech to the National Parliament in which heoutlines the state of the country) in February 2025, he also announced the National SkillsFund Disabilities Programme, which in its first phase will support more than ten thousand Despite this progress, the implementation of politicalguidelines remains a key challenge.The Employment Equity Act stipulates that at least two per cent of employees in companies should be people with disabilities. However, according to the Commission for EmploymentEquity, the actual employment rate is significantly below this target at 1.2 per cent.11 This 5Stats SA Strategic Plan 2025_26-2029_30.pdf6Remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Transport Summit on Universal Accessibil-ity, Birchwood Conference Centre, Ekurhuleni | The Presidency7Overview–DWYPD8Disability Rights Awareness Month | Government Communication and Information Sys-tem (GCIS)9State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Cape Town City Hall, 6 Febru-ary 2025-DIRCO10From the desk of the President-Monday, 2 December 2024 | The Presidency11From the desk of the President-Monday, 2 December 2024 | The Presidency, Country report with a difference⦁SOUTH AFRICA framework documents such as the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Nelson Mandela summed up this responsibility decades ago when he declared that the newSouth Africa would only become a reality if all people had free and equal access to socialopportunities.13 Example from society: Successes at the Paralym- Sport is a visible sign of society's recognition of people with disabilities. At the 2024 Paralym-pic Games in Paris, the South African team achieved remar