Hon Speaker, addressing the Conference for the Disabled in April 2004, President Mandela said:
A democracy is an order of social equality and nondiscrimination. The Constitution continues to affirm that no person may unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on the grounds of race, gender, sex and disability.
The SA National Council for the Blind has commended the new Mandela series banknotes, which went into circulation for the first time on Tuesday, 6 November 2012. The council confirmed that the notes are user-friendly for the visually impaired and is happy to see that the suggestions they submitted to the Reserve Bank were duly implemented.
The council officials have tested the new banknotes and confirmed that they are perfect for the visually impaired. The ANC welcomes the inclusivity of the Reserve Bank's endeavours to ensure that the needs and challenges of visually-impaired people were taken into consideration when designing the new notes.
Specifically for the visually impaired, there are raised lines on the bottom left and right-hand sides on the front of the new banknotes. As the Reserve Bank Governor, Gill Marcus, confirmed, the new notes are indeed a unique symbol of South Africa's nationhood.
South Africa is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article 9 of the Convention talks about universal access. Therefore, the ANC urges all ... [Time expired.] I thank you.