ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 2 • 15-28 JAN 2010

NELSPRUIT

As a woman living with albinism, Sphiwe Nkosi (27) from Mpumalanga is only too aware of discrimination against people who are different from others.

That is why she has made it her mission to fight against the abuse of people with albinism, disabilities and epilepsy.

“Nobody chooses to be born with albinism or any form of disability. God did not make a mistake when he created us and it is also not our parents’ fault,” she said._Nkosi decided to speak out after she learnt about an incident in Bushbuckridge in which a boy with albinism dropped out of school because his classmates had laughed at him.

“It hurt me so bad that I decided to stand up and fight for our rights. The boy refused to leave home after the incident and stayed in his room for days. He stopped playing with other kids and his future was shattered,” she said.

The boy’s story moved Nkosi so much that she went to see him personally to encourage him to live a normal life and, since then, she has become a campaigner for people with disabilities.

Nkosi, who lives in Nelspruit, has been used by the Mpumalanga premier’s office as well as the national department of human settlements as a motivational speaker at community events and schools, where she teaches the audience to respect those with albinism and disability.  

She hates any form of discrimination.

“People with disabilities, albinos and those with epilepsy are not welcome or employed. We are always the last in the employment line. At hospitals and police stations there are no interpreters to assist the deaf and the blind. Although epilepsy patients get medicines at state hospitals, they need grants to study or buy the things they need. Without proper care and money, life is hard for them,” she said.

Nkosi says her heart breaks each time she hears about parents or guardians who abuse their children’s disability grants.

“I condemn parents who collect their children’s grants and use them for personal gain. It means people like me cannot further our education or buy medicines to treat our skins. The heat from the sun affects us badly and medicines are expensive,” she said.

Despite all their problems, people with disabilities do not want others’ sympathy, Nkosi stresses.

“No one should feel pity for us. What we need is respect and equal rights,” she said.

Nkosi became a well-known face on TV when she presented the first season of “Ses’khona” on SABC1 between October 2006 and April 2007.

Her Mpumalanga fans can look forward to seeing her in March, when she will be the MC of the Super Jazz Festival to be held in Nelspruit on March 7.

‘Treat us with respect’ - Sphiwe