Wheelchair tennis player Mayenzeke Gwija and Mncedi Zenani practice in Khayelitsha as South Africa celebrates National Disability Rights Awareness Month. BRENDAN MAGAAR African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - With the country celebrating Disability Awareness month, people living with disabilities feel more can be done.
The Para Wheelchair Tennis Club in Khayelitsha, which was started in 2012 by a group of people living with disabilities, say there has not been much change.
Mayenzeke Gwija said he used to watch tennis on TV before he was introduced to wheelchair tennis.
“I enjoy the sport a lot. It keeps me busy and it is a way of staying fit.”
He said a lot of people living with disabilities were interested in the sport, but a lack of support discourages them from participating.
He said they needed sponsors, because a proper wheelchair for playing tennis was expensive, and not everyone could afford it.
“Most people can’t afford transport to come to practice, and those that can take public transport are turned away,” he said.
Gwija said they also did not have proper bathrooms to cater for them where they practise, and sometimes people from other affluent areas who come and join them never come back once they see the conditions they play under.
Even when they host small tournaments the public don’t support them; they only get support from some family members, he added.
“When we go and ask for sponsorship, we always get asked how we are playing tennis if we are in a wheelchair, because it requires a lot of running. Which is why we want them to come and watch us, so they can see what we are talking about,” he said.
Mncedi Zenani said the Disability Awareness month celebrated people living with disability, so they could be taken seriously.
He said when they tried to catch a taxi, drivers either didn’t stop for them, or if they did told them they needed someone to assist them load the wheelchair.
“Some taxi drivers ask us to pay for our wheelchairs. I don’t think one month of awareness of disability is enough, because people still don’t take us seriously,” he said.
Disability Info South Africa founder Alan Downey said disability sport does not receive the same attention as does sport for the able-bodied.
He said they battled for support, and for those starting up, sponsorship was difficult to get.
He said public transport was not accessible, which made it difficult to travel.
“There is a lot of difficulty playing sports, and one has their own day-to-day struggles on top. More needs to be done,” said Downey.
Weekend Argus
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