Legless man entertains crowd with ethnic dances
In his wheelchair,he would go to taverns, get drunk and start doing traditional dances.
SKUKUZA – After he was hit by a car and underwent an operation that left him with no legs, Richard Mwamba’s life took a drastic turn.
The 42-year-old from a rural village on the outskirts of Bushbuckridge, started drinking to drown his sorrows, but
every time he was sober, his misery of not being able to walk or work would trouble him and he would end up drinking even
more.
In his wheelchair,he would go to taverns, get drunk and start doing traditional dances. That’s how his manager, Mr VanRooi Ubisi found him and today he is a remarkable dancer and plays marimba instruments so well one would swear he was born doing it.
“It took me some time to come to terms with what had happened to me and I just wanted to die. But today I know every
day comes with new possibilities and I’m grateful to be alive,” Mwamba says.
He entertains people on his stumps and has travelled with Kruger National Park management to KwaZulu-Natal where,
according to him, he became the centre of attention. “I dance to show people that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
I only do happy dances and even when people can be sad after watching me, they come alive and become happy again. Some people cry when they see me dance and I usually go to them and give them hugs, sympathising with them,” he chuckles.
The charismatic dancer says that he wishes he could get more gigs and make enough money to be able to build himself a
house since he still lives with his parents. “I wish to take my dance globally and be booked for events because I need money so
I can even marry a wife.
Time is running out for me. I need someone to share my everlasting joy with,” he laughs. His manager, Ubisi, is confident about Mwamba’s skills.
“He moves much better than people with legs and he’s a natural entertainer. People who wish to book him can contact me on ‘He moves much 079-962-6776,” Ubisi said.
