A walk past adversity

Due to injuries sustained in a bus collision, this University of Johannesburg student had his right lower leg amputated. This, however, did little to stifle his motivation.

Unarine Ndou is graduate of University of Johannesburg.

What do perseverance, determination, and a positive mindset all have in common? These are traits Unarine Ndou capitalised on so he could one day ensure his triumphant walk down a University of Johannesburg (UJ) stage as a graduate.

This was no easy walk to undertake for the Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Senior phase & FET student, especially given his harrowing experience on July 25, 2023. The day started off no different from any other. He got ready for lectures and got onto the bus that headed to campus, but nothing could have prepared him for what was to take place on that journey.

“Buses collided and I was ejected out of the bus through the windscreen.” He laid on Kingsway Road, cold, and bleeding, before he was rushed to Helen Joseph Hospital where he would endure multiple surgeries, only to later be told he lost his right lower limb. He would spend 29 days at the hospital recovering.

Loosing his leg, meant a new reality, a new way of life, new ways of doing things. “I had to made a decision to either mind how society will view me, or fetch my dreams. It was not easy, but I had to mute all the thoughts that would limit me, and had to move forward,” he said confidently.

Unarine Ndou proudly raises up his qualification.

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Ever the determined force, after he was told that he could still stand, and still had the use of a fully functional brain, he decided that he would never stop moving forward. This particular field of study was the only one he had applied for at UJ, choosing it after he was inspired by Anele Myalatya, a fictional character in Athol Fugard’s book, My Children! My Africa!. “There was a sense of unanimity between the character and the person I aspired to be; driven by a sense of change.” He was also inspired by the desire to share with others the pedagogy of care he had received from is his high school biology teacher.

Attaining this qualification means he is now the first teacher in his family, along with this it also serves as a way for him to help others achieve their full potential. Not one to see any limitations, he is enrolled for a BEd Honours in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education at UJ, and has the hope to attain his masters degree next year.

Though to the reader, the sentence, ‘all you need is ganas’ means nothing. To Ndou, these words from the movie Stand and Deliver, were what helped him navigate past his challenges. “We must have a desire to win. As long as the brain is still in capacity to help us win, I will always retain ‘ganas’. Ganas is a Spanish term that is said to mean having a great motivation to accomplish something. Ndou added, “our goals are beyond the circumstances. With two legs or one, the idea is to keep moving forward.”

He is grateful for all the people who have helped strengthen him to this point, from his biology teacher, to fictional characters, to professors, and spiritual guides, who have all played a part in helping him stand on stage, a proud graduate, who still has so much more to accomplish. To fellow youth who think their challenges are insurmountable, Ndou says his journey was marked by significant obstacles, that taught him perseverance, determination, and a positive mindset can turn even the most difficult circumstances into opportunities for growth.

“Sun Tzu teaches us deep knowledge and strong action makes one change danger into safety, distraction into survival. The most difficult things in the world should be done once they are still easy.”