Walvis Primary School Defends 64% Disability Workforce Claim

The Walvis Bay Primary School has defended its claim that 64% of its workforce are persons with disabilities. The school was answering questions by the Employment Equity Commission (EEC) who questioned how the school arrived at this figure. According to the EEC, 5% of a company’s staff must be persons with disabilities, but the figure presented by the school appears to be exaggerated. The EEC issued non-compliance to 15 entities on Monday, summoning them to appear in front of the commission review panel in Windhoek on Wednesday. In accordance with the Affirmative Action Act 29 of 1998, and under section 47 of the Act, entities could face criminal charges or fines for contravening the law. “The Act does not specify what is disabilities because it says ‘any limitations’ and we have gone further to look at other laws, hence the high number,” Lourens Willers, a school consultant, told the panel. He said the Act did not clearly define disabilities, making it difficult to pinpoint who was regarded a person with disabilities. He argued that based on their research in defining disabilities, the figure was calculated. EEC review chief officer Geaven Mufalali said the school’s evaluation report was submitted to the commission on 16 October last year but could not be approved or denied. They needed clarity on how the school arrived at such a high figure of 64.1% persons with disabilities, compared to the 5% mandatory by law. “We summoned them to come and clarify this high percentage,” Mufalali said. The review panel advised the school to follow the Act and other in- house policy bodies such as the National Disability Council of Namibia and to not seek definitions from outside. The panel said given the complexity of the matter the school was told to appear on Thursday for a final decision, emphasising that the Act on disability must be complied to at all times.