Disabled man defies all odds
Self-acceptance a valuable tool
Letlhogonolo Mafela is not your ordinary graduate. Mafela, from Matshepe village outside Mahikeng in the North West, was born without arms. He uses his toes and mouth to write, use a computer and eat.
Against all odds, Mafela passed his matric seven years ago with flying colours. He initially enrolled to study information technology but dropped out after two years because of the technicalities. In 2014, he enrolled for a BCom in economics. Now, the 27 year-old is set to graduate from North West University in April after completing his degree last year. Mafela said accepting his condition at the age of six and knowing what he wanted in life got him to where he is today.
He said it was at that age that he began to be conscious of the fact that he was different from other children.
“I always tell people that I became a man when I was only six because I had to make a decision of self-acceptance at that age,” he said. “[That] is not something a young mind would really accommodate so I told myself that I was like that and there is no changing it.” Mafela, whose parents are both unemployed, said he chose economics because he wanted something that will give him a broader understanding of the business world. He said it has always been his dream to pursue such a career. “I want to focus on product development, like entering a new product into the market or updating certain products that are already in the market, with much focus on perishable products,” he said. Mafela said his journey has not been easy and he thought of giving up on his dream.
“It’s either I was going to live my life being miserable because of my condition or I was going to make the most out of it.”
He said writing and eating with his toes came naturally. “I’ve got no other thing to use,” he laughed. Mafela loves music too and is a club DJ in his spare time. “I use my lips to press and spin the buttons.”
North West University’s professor Marilyn Setlalentoa commended Mafela for his achievement: “Letlhogonolo is an inspiration and a perfect example of what you can achieve if you believe in yourself. Disability is not inability.”