Serving tennis is Bethwell’s wish
Bethwell Sekgwele has been living with a disability for over 23 years. Something he says doesn't make him any less of a person, but in fact makes him a much stronger person, because of what he had to overcome in his life.
LIMPOPO –Â Staying active is something that’s very important to him. For the past 12 years, he has been playing in different wheelchair tennis tournaments. He says it all started when he realised he needed to stay active. He says he looks up to the people who already played the game, and inspired him to also start playing. “I look up to people like Evans Matipa and Tshepo Makwena who are very good players. I joined the Helen Franz School in 2008, where I started playing competitively and entered competitions,” he says.
He has played in several big events, which include the Mafikeng SA open and the Cape Town Open, where he went to the semi-final.
He practices every weekend, to make sure he stays fit and does well in the sport when he plays bigger tournaments.
“As people with disabilities we support each other, but it’s not so easy for people who do not understand what we go through to support us,” he adds.
He says a big problem according to him, is the fact that the people who do not have disabilities, struggle to understand how important the little successes they achieve are and how much it means to them.
He says he always looks for a way in which he can improve himself, to become a better person.
“Being disabled does not mean that you are not a person, and you are not able. You can still respect yourself and you can still admire yourself.
“It doesn’t matter if you are in a wheelchair or not,” he advises someone facing disability.
He says he hopes that through hard work, to not only represent the province, but his country as well. He also hopes to maybe go as far as Wimbledon one day.
When he is not playing the game he loves, he is an artist that brands clothing. This he says has taught him that besides being a sport star , he can also be an artist in his own right.
