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Patient Sibanda Chronicle Reporter
GIANT supermarket chain, Choppies has embarked on a deliberate programme to empower people with disabilities by offering them employment.

The supermarket chain started the programme by recruiting six people from Nguboyenja Jairos Jiri Centre in Bulawayo last Thursday.

Choppies human resources manager, Maron Munyavi said they conducted interviews to select the six from a pool of candidates at the centre.

“We targeted people with disabilities at Nguboyenja Jairos Jiri Centre because it’s close to us. We believe people with disabilities should be given an opportunity to get jobs as some of them are mentally capable of doing well. Some of them have been jobless for some time,” said Munyavi.

He said they engaged people with disabilities to operate the supermarket’s closed circuit television and pledged that Choppies would employ more people with disabilities from the Nguboyenja centre and other centres elsewhere to do the same job.

“Some of our branches don’t have CCTV. We’ll take more disabled candidates in future from various centre to operate CCTV at our branches. We’re now working on installing CCTV at all our branches,” said Munyavi.

He said the selection was fair as they recruited people based on their ability and qualifications.

Irene Moyo, who was selected, said: “I feel so happy that I’m finally no longer a vendor. I was finding it tough to make a living as I’m a mother of three children. Choppies has shown us that people with disabilities are acceptable in society.”

Nobuhle Ngwane, said: “I feel so happy because I’m now doing something in life. I’m living with my sister who is employed as a maid. Life has been hard but now I hope things will change for the better.”