Mbabane – Persons with disabilities say they have been abandoned by the Manzini Municipal Council following the relocation of the city’s bus rank, accusing the local authority of failing to honour a promise made two weeks ago to make pedestrian routes accessible.
The Federation of Organisations of the Disabled in Eswatini (FODSWA) Director Mandla Methula has raised concerns that the route leading to the temporary bus rank remains dangerous for wheelchair users and people with visual impairments, forcing some to walk on busy roads alongside moving vehicles.
Methula said while the organization welcomes the city’s ongoing infrastructure development, it is concerned that accessibility continues to be treated as an afterthought.
“We support development, but development should not exclude persons with disabilities. Accessibility is not a favour, it is a right,” Methula said.
He described the pedestrian route from the KFC area towards the former Trade Fair grounds as inaccessible, citing uneven and damaged pavements, open sections, utility poles erected along walkways and other obstacles that make independent movement impossible for many people with disabilities.
According to Methula FODSWA has spent more than a decade urging the municipality to adopt universal design standards, including the installation of tactile guide blocks for people with visual impairments.
“For 12 years we have engaged the municipality on these issues. The response has consistently been that funding is not available, yet people with disabilities continue to be excluded from public infrastructure,” he said.
Methula said although the municipality previously engaged the organisation on the installation of audible traffic lights, broader accessibility commitments have not materialised. He noted that neighbouring Mbabane has already introduced tactile guide blocks and audible pedestrian crossings to improve mobility for visually impaired residents.
He added that the relocation of the bus rank has created new barriers for people who depend on public transport every day.
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