The Zambia Deaf Youth and Women is hopeful the COVID-19 pandemic will not affect the hearing of their petition in the High Court against the Road Transport and Safety Agency over their refusal to issue its members with driving licenses.
The organization which represents over 20,000 deaf people, have tried for years to engage RTSA and the government on the issue and as a last resort, on 15th November 2019, filed a constitutional petition in the High Court against the RTSA.
The Petitioners argue that RTSA unfairly discriminates against deaf people by denying them the opportunity to obtain drivers’ licenses.
The Petitioners state that there is no reasonable justification for prohibiting deaf people from driving because deafness in no way interferes with the ability to drive safely.
Several countries in the region like South Africa and Namibia allow deaf people to obtain drivers’ licenses and the Petitioners have asked the Court to order RTSA to start issuing, extending, and renewing drivers’ licenses to deaf people on an equal basis with others.
The RTSA is opposing the Petitioners’ case and claims that it is reasonable and justifiable to have a blanket prohibition against driving by deaf persons.
The case is set down for hearing on 19th May 2020, a date Frankson Musukwa, the Organisation Executive Director says the deaf community desperately hopes will not be affected by the impact of COVID-19 on court activities. The case raises important issues.
Mr Musukwa said the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2012 is specifically aimed at promoting “the participation of persons with disabilities with equal opportunities in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural spheres”.
He said in a statement that developing practices which exclude persons based on unfounded perceptions runs contrary to this aim.
Mr Musukwa has lamented that deaf persons have lost their means of income after being denied drivers’ licenses and have lost large amounts of money in trying to get a license only to be eventually denied because they are deaf, and have been insulted and demeaned in the process by RTSA officers.
He said the situation is degrading, humiliating, arbitrary and discriminatory and it violates deaf peoples’ rights under the Constitution and under the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2012.
BMW Bally Must Win
ZNBC= Zambia Needs Bally Chapwafye
BOZ= Bally Of Zambia
BENZ= Bally Ena Ni Zii
BBC= Ba Bally Chapwafye
BALL= Bally Alikwata Leadership Lyonse.
TBN= Team Bally Nationwide.
CBC= Call Bally Chapwa
ZABS= Zambia Accepts Bally System.
CAB= Chapwa Asova Bally
BBQ= Bringing Bally Qualities.
BBA/BAC= Bally Brings Accountability/ Bally Allows Continuity
BCE= Bally Changes Economy
BC= Bally Chapwafye .
BMW= Bally Muntu Wesu
TB= Team Bally
ABSA= Ala Bally Supplies All
FNB= Fyonse Ni Bally
In as much as I sympathize with my friends, I dont think its right for them to get licences unless they improvise hearing aids.
On which roads will these licenses be used? I want to avoid those roads for my own safety.
Secondly, I have noticed that also driving with a mask on is a safety risk as sensitive drivers may suffer Hypoxia behind the wheel with loss of consciousness leading to RTAs!
RTSA is one very misguided organisation who have no idea what they are doing. It’s like the qualification to work in that organization is one’s inability to think properly. All they want is to drive around in vehicles painted in UK police colours and design and flashing sirens. Very useless chaps.
I respect these people but how practical is this their petition. Next the blind ones will also sue demanding to be allowed to be pilots and granted licences to fly planes.
That is the problem with too much of the so called human rights wen wrongly understood! Don’t just make noise for the seek of being known .
They are pipo like anybody else but chibulu can’t hear hooting from others not even sirens for hearses & other special motorcades.
The People v. OJ
@ kascol
You are dimwits. .. Driving has nothing to do with hearing. Me a deaf man has been driving for many years here without causing an accident. Ask anyone (Zambian) living in Finland, they know me .. My car is a 7 seater Opel Zafira 2003.
Here we drive on snow covered roads, which is more difficult than in Zambian roads. STOP DISCRIMINATION
Next will be the blind and then we get ichilema as a president.