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Deputy Minister Letsike urges inclusion of people who stutter

Published

Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, joined a 57-kilometre awareness walk from Welkom to Kroonstad on Saturday. The Stutter Foundation organised the walk.

Letsike spoke at an International Stuttering Awareness Day event in the Free State. She said stuttering is a speech condition that can be an invisible disability. She said it does not define a person's intelligence, abilities or potential.

Letsike said many children and adults who stutter face bullying, discrimination and exclusion because they communicate differently. During the walk she said "no person should ever be silenced, ridiculed or denied opportunities because of how they speak".

International Stuttering Awareness Day falls on 22 October each year.

Key facts

Who
Mmapaseka Steve Letsike (Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities); Stutter Foundation (organised the awareness walk)
What
Letsike addressed the International Stuttering Awareness Day event in the Free State on Saturday and took part in a 57-kilometre awareness walk from Welkom to Kroonstad organised by the Stutter Foundation.
When
24 October 2026
Where
Free State, Welkom, Kroonstad
Status
Reported

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