Can’t knock this woman down
WESTDENE – Palesa Manaleng lets nothing come in between her and sports.
Despite suffering damage to her spine and being confined to a wheelchair, Palesa Manaleng (29) is still an active sports enthusiast.
Before a cycling accident, Manaleng used to play soccer and hockey and participated in cycling and swimming. Two years ago, when she was cycling on the road, part of her bicycle broke off; she lost control and fell.
The accident damaged her spine, dislocated her shoulder, left some ribs broken and she also suffered a head injury. She became a paraplegic as a result of spine damage and now gets around in a wheelchair.
However, Manaleng is not the kind of person who lets anything come between her and sport. The Westdene resident was hospitalised for five months where she underwent rehabilitation.
She said it was hard to accept the idea of using a wheelchair. “My life changed; everything in my life now, is about planning,” she said. She described how difficult it can be for her to do shopping since she can’t reach certain items on the shelves.
Nonetheless, Manaleng never lost interest in sports. She plays hockey and she does hand-cycling and track-racing. “I find my freedom in sport,” she said, simply.
Manaleng recently joined the Hugenote Amateur Boxing Club for training and fitness. She says boxing lessons help her with confidence and strength. She talked about her boxing coach, Boetie Lourens, as one of the people who inspires her and pushes her to do better in sports.
Outside sports, Manaleng is an online journalist and is sometimes invited to speak publicly about road safety, drinking and driving and living with a disability.
