‘My wheelchair changed my life for the better’ says Siyanda

Who is Siyanda Khumalo? 
Siyanda is the founder of Siyanda Community Development Centre based in Sithembile.
“I am originally from Madadeni in Newcastle. I schooled there and later went to study in Johannesburg where I attended Adelaide Thambo School, a boarding school in Soweto”. After Siyanda matriculated he went to Central College in Braamfontein to study towards a civil engineering course. “I had to drop out of college when I got severely sick”.
Can you elaborate more on your illness?
People who don’t know me assume that I was born disabled, but I wasn’t. In 2005 I was diagnosed with meningitis and right after that, I had a stroke. My stroke was so bad that I couldn’t walk properly and I had to use crutches to get by and that was in my tertiary years. In 2013 my illness got so bad that I had to drop out of college while doing my N3 in civil engineering. From 2013 I graduated to a wheelchair.
How has being chairbound changed your livelihood? 
Well, I have a strong support system at home. My mother and my granny are my pillars of strength and I could not have done it without these two strong women in my life. Of cause I was devastated when I couldn’t walk on my own and finding out that the wheelchair was going to be my feet from that dreadful day on was heartbreaking. I am a spiritual person and this was my safety net as I prayed more and got to understand the word of God and all His promises.
I knew that my situation would change and I feel like I was lucky in a sense that in today’s word disabled people also have rights and I have learned to use those in a positive way.
What do you do specifically at your NPO? 
When I came to Glencoe I saw how dead it was and I had this vision of helping the community by establishing a centre where young people can meet up and showcase their talents. I guess as an engineering student I am all about constructing and building, in this case, I am moving the community of Sithembile forward.
As the years went by the centre grew bigger in membership and that is when I decided to form a committee. It was hard as an NPO as there is no profit at all, but eventually, I found 10 dedicated members who have been with the centre since 2014.
What challenges did you face after your illness? 
I had to learn to manoeuvre around with my special car and that took some time getting used to, however, there isn’t anything I cannot do, even though I cannot literally go everywhere because some buildings are not wheelchair-friendly I can still do important negotiations while in my wheelchair.
Finish the sentence “My weakness is…?
I am too sympathetic and people sometimes use that to their advantage. I don’t like seeing a person suffer in any manner especially if I can help them.
One thing people don’t know about you is?
I associate and mingle with everyone. I am a spiritual person. I love God too much and as a man of God who loves human beings, in general, some people tend to judge me when they see me associate myself with people whom are seen as “amaphara” (petty thieves) of which to me are my brothers in Christ.
Your message to the youth?
Use what you have to obtain what you don’t have. As a disabled person, I was able to use my situation to better myself and my community. Never forget to give thanks to the Almighty as he never forsakes us. We need God to survive in today’s world.