Zimpapers Logo

Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
THE High Court yesterday ordered the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) and the Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa to release funds to facilitate the full participation of people with disabilities in future population censuses.The ruling by Justice Maxwell Takuva of the Bulawayo High Court follows an application by the Zimbabwe National League for the Blind (ZNLB) suing Zimstat, Chinamasa and his Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare counterpart Prisca Mupfumira for allegedly deliberately excluding its members from participating in the 2012 census programme.

Justice Takuva said: “Zimstat and Chinamasa are ordered to immediately facilitate the full participation of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others in future population censuses or any other exercises. This will include budgeting for the use of assistants by the visually impaired persons who will be participating in the exercise.