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People with impaired mobility will be able to enjoy the sites and sounds of Johannesburg Zoo, thanks to a donation of electric wheelchairs.
Member of mayoral committee for environment, Prema Naidoo, hands over wheelchairs
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
DISABLED people will be able to enjoy the Johannesburg Zoo has much as the next person, thanks to a donation of 10 electric wheelchairs by the City's environmental management department.
This brings the zoo's fleet of wheelchairs to 12, boosting the number of people with impaired mobility who can be helped around the sanctuary.
The donation was initiated by the member of mayoral committee for environment, Prema Naidoo, who handed over the wheelchairs on a chilly Wednesday, 4 February at the Zoo's AngloGold Ashanti Conference centre, in Saxonwold.
According to Letta Madlala, the zoo's brand and communications manager, the initiative will help to cut accessibility problems and raise the flag for people living with impaired mobility. "The initiative will make a day at the zoo enjoyable for everyone, irrespective of their impairment."
Wilson Baloyi from the Joseph Gerard Home in Alexander test drives one of the new wheelchairs
The wheelchairs will be placed at the zoo's entrances, and will be available to all visitors "for whom walking is difficult or impossible throughout the day".
With a comfortable ride on offer, the sleek new wheelchairs are four-wheel drives fitted with joysticks to enable users' total control of movement. The chairs can tilt and recline, and offer both leg and seat elevation, making them easily adaptable. Other features include safety belts, adjustable backrests and drink holders.
They are designed for both indoor and outdoor use.
Equal opportunities
Naidoo said the donation was made in the spirit of "providing equal opportunities for all citizens of our country". It was his sincere belief that the zoo, as Joburg's premiere recreation destination, "must have the capacity to cater for individuals who live with physical disabilities".
"It is important to note that our zoo now not only caters for such needs but due to these new wheelchairs, will ensure that anyone who has a need for a wheelchair will be transported in the latest and most comfortable ones on the market."
Joburg zoo's chief executive, Stephen van der Spuy, says the wheelchairs will make the zoo more accessible to all
In turning the zoo into a premiere destination for family outings, he stressed that the animal reserve needed to be easily accessible to all people, including those living with disabilities.
Echoing these words, the Joburg zoo's chief executive, Stephen van der Spuy, noted that the wheelchairs would make his zoo "more" accessible to all people "regardless of their disabilities".
"It is part of the zoo's plan to break the half-a-million mark this year, in terms of visitors, and this will only be done if everyone is able to access the zoo on an equal [scale]."
In a press release, Deona Brough, the zoo's manager of education, said the wheelchairs would go a long way towards making a zoo visit pleasurable for children with mobility difficulties, and would also reduce their dependency on fellow pupils and teachers.
Mobility
Creating mobility for people who were disabled was always a great thing, noted Conrad Hoesen, a representative of the Quadriplegic Association of South Africa. He accepted the wheelchairs on behalf of all disabled people.
It was a poignant experience to know that the City understood the needs of disabled people, "especially at recreation areas".
The chairs will create mobility for people who are disabled, notes Conrad Hoesen of the Quadriplegic Association of South Africa
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Test driving one of the new wheelchairs, Mary Hlongwane from the Joseph Gerard Home in Alexander, said: "These wheelchairs feel very nice and comfortable". Her mate from the same home, Wilson Baloyi, noted that they felt like a new car.
"I love it, it is very lovely and feels like I have just received a new car," said the elderly Baloyi, with a wide grin.
However, there are conditions of use. "We hope that all who will use [the wheelchairs], while enjoying the sights of our zoo, will treat [them] with respect and care," Naidoo urged.
They must ensure that all facilities are well taken care of. "I ... trust that the custodians of these wheelchairs ...will ensure that this investment [is well] maintained."
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