Amazingly excellent on a wheelchair!

Amazingly excellent on a wheelchair!

 

by Samukele Manzini

Usually the right mindset and attitude leads one to greater heights. Hailed as a pioneer and a go-getter by her colleagues and close associates, she comes across as friendly and energetic.  Following a horrific car accident in 1995 (she was in grade 12 at the time) that left her crippled, she defied all odds and passed her matric in 1996 while studying at home with no teacher to teach her. “I only had one thing in mind after the accident, passing my grade 12 and owning a matric certificate” she explains.  Lender Malope has been in a wheelchair for 17 years and she’s living proof that disability is not a curse but just being differently able.

“I believe education is everything, it is the cornerstone of our arsenal in our journey to achieving our goals.” To Malope, the accident was just a stepping stone that she used as a springboard to touch the sky. “After the accident, I didn’t sit at home and fold my arms and think government will look after me. I empowered myself with good initiatives.” (She owns LN2000 Printers based in her township, KaNyamazane.)

We met on a sunny Monday morning at Ligwalagwala FM studios in Nelspruit’s Aero Park building. She’s been with Ligwalagwala FM since 2003 and currently host a morning show which airs between 09H00 and 10H00, daily. Malope is the first and still the only disabled presenter at the station.

“People hear the hype and energy behind the microphone that I have but I’m a very shy person and I love my space.” Dumisane ‘Madumane’ Simelane, Lender’s colleague, sees her as a perfect example to women and the disabled.  “She is amazingly extraordinary and special, easy to work with and is a big inspiration.” He claims

“Initially I wanted to be a doctor but after the accident, I had to consider another career because my disability meant I couldn’t be physically strong to deal with patients.”  To my surprise, she said that laughing. “You know what, I tend to forget that I’m disabled, because the only difference between me and you is that I can’t walk but everything works normal, my state of mind is hundred percent. Why should I hinder myself from fulfilling my ambitions?” She asks rhetorically. Malope believes God gave her a second chance at life after the horrific accident in 1995. “It’s a second chance at life and I’m going to use it wisely.” She then looks straight into my eyes and says “My life is a story book authored by God, my mentor.”

“Reminding myself I’m still beautiful and ‘able’ helped my confidence a lot since the accident.” She never got the chance to be a professional doctor but she is a ‘doctor’ on the airwaves. “The accident shattered my goal of being a doctor but radio has given me a platform to help people using my voice.” The-48-year-old definitely has the confidence. Malope, who won Miss Confidence in 2002, is lean, dark and yes, she is tall! It’s clear the radio dj didn’t allow her disability to be an obstacle. “The accident didn’t stop me from modelling because I didn’t allow it to,” she says.

Malope can play table tennis, wheelchair ballroom and Latin dancing. According to her, there are only two things she can’t do, flying and walking. Discipline, education and the right attitude are elements she had on her way to achieving her goals. Her message to people is simple: the sky is the limit. “I don’t have limits, people should never limit themselves, especially disabled people.”