A NON-PROFIT organisation in Soweto - which employs mostly disabled people in a self-help venture - is on the verge of shutting down due to lack of funds.

The Self-Help Association of Paraplegics (Shap) works on a subcontracting basis and is in desperate need of financial assistance or be forced to close.

The centre was formed in 1981 by the late Friday Mavuso, a paraplegic, to provide employment for people with disabilities.

It employes 74 people, 80 percent of whom are disabled.

They do packaging and assembling work, make protective clothing and sew various products.

All the administrative and supervisory positions are held by disabled people.

The centre seeks funding from the community and businesspeople for capital projects and support of its service programmes.

Shap chairperson Eric Fikile told Sowetan yesterday that things have not been going well since Mavuso's death in 1995.

"When he was still in charge we used to get contracts from different businesses but they terminated the contracts, while others did not renew them. Our employees face a bleak future," he said.

Fikile said even more challenging was the lack of transport to ferry the disabled to and from work.

"Since the establishment of the centre we have been using two buses that are now old and worn out. One bus was written off and the other can die any time."

He said they had written to President Jacob Zuma asking for assistance with transport but had not received a response.

"It's tough now because even if they were getting enough salaries, which is not the case, most of our employees cannot use public transport because it is not wheelchair-friendly," said the secretary, Frank Mahlalela. "Everybody here is worried about their future because this facility was formed to prove that a gainfully employed disabled person can be in a stronger position."