Dr Praveena Sukhraj-Ely has become a powerful symbol of possibility for persons with disabilities in South Africa, as the first person who is totally blind to lead a national government department. Following her appointment...
Dr Praveena Sukhraj-Ely has become a powerful symbol of possibility for persons with disabilities in South Africa, as the first person who is totally blind to lead a national government department.
Following her appointment in July as Acting Director-General (ADG) of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), SAnews sat down with Sukhraj-Ely during Women’s Month.
The 2026 theme, “Empowered Women Empower the Nation,” is one she embodies through both her leadership and lifelong advocacy.
Although she has devoted much of her academic and professional journey to advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities, Sukhraj-Ely never imagined that she would one day serve at the helm of a national department.
“I have never dreamed that one day I would hold this position, even in an acting role as a DG, because I understand the stereotypes, the stigma, and prejudice, and bearing in mind that this is the highest level that you can occupy as a civil servant.
“I never knew of a blind person or a person with disability who has occupied this position at a national level. To be trusted with accounts, figures, and to lead the entire national department as a blind person is something that I do not take lightly,” she said.
She emphasised that her advocacy has always centred on ensuring that persons with disabilities can access employment, become entrepreneurs, and participate meaningfully in the country’s economy.
Yet she remains concerned that society still expects leaders to look, walk, act, and make eye contact in a particular way before they are deemed fit for certain positions.
While her appointment is a milestone for the disability sector, Sukhraj-Ely does not want to be seen as the exception. She wants her achievement to become part of a broader norm in which persons with disabilities no longer feel excluded from spaces where their talent, qualifications, and leadership are needed.
“I want it to become the case that a person who has the potential, qualifications and capabilities must not be discriminated against on the grounds of their disability, but be given the equity and reasonable accommodation based on their diversity and their disability.
“I am quite happy. I see it as a step in the right direction. I feel like the women of 1956 who were marching for everyone would be applauding right now to say, ‘here is one of our women of colour with a disability, she is given an opportunity… we salute you’. I think that would be their feeling,” she said.
Looking ahead, Sukhraj-Ely called on South Africans to uplift and empower persons with disabilities so that they can thrive. For too long, she said, people with disabilities have been sidelined, isolated, excluded, and treated as different.
For her, the appointment signals that South Africa is beginning to show confidence in the disability sector by recognising the leadership capabilities that exist within it. She hopes her role will open doors for many other persons with disabilities who continue to be overlooked.
“This step, I am hoping, will make other departments move in a similar direction by not only employing persons with disabilities but also putting them in leadership positions so that when we say nothing about us without us, our word and what we speak holds water. We should be able to change policy, legislation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and impact as we move along,” she said.
Sukhraj-Ely is originally from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. She attended Arthur Blaxall School for the Blind in Pietermaritzburg, where she matriculated in 1995.
She holds four degrees, including a Bachelor of Social Science, a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Arts in Political Science awarded cum laude, and a PhD in Public Policy from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
A totally blind legal practitioner, public policy expert, and public servant, Sukhraj-Ely has extensive experience in governance, constitutional law, disability rights, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), public administration, and policy development.
She also serves as the State Representative on the Commission for Employment Equity, where she advocates for a 7% disability employment target by 2030.
She is among the leaders driving the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act, the development of the Femicide Strategy, and the drafting of the Disability Access to Justice Policy. Her appointment stands as a statement of government’s commitment to equality, dignity, and inclusive leadership. –SAnews.gov.za
Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.
Follow the story
