MULENZHE - While most of the disabled members of the community are sitting at home and only relying on the government’s disability grant, Sox Luvhengo (32) of Mulenzhe village, east of Thohoyandou, is using his disability to make some extra cash.

Sox walks with difficulty because his right leg is shorter, loosely joined and thinner than the right one. He can swing his leg into any position around his body and he has also impressed the locals who donate cash for him whenever he does his performances. As a result, he is now invited to entertain guests whenever there are social functions in his village.

Sox said people feel pity for him when he walks, but they immediately change their reactions when he starts his acrobatic performances. He said: “They are being prejudiced by judging the book by its cover. Every disabled person has a special talent but most of them could not identify those talents. One might be unable to walk but he or she might be good at something else. It rests upon ourselves to use our talents to make a mark in the world in which we live. We can creatively turn disability into ability.”

Sox, who has been disabled since birth, added that other villagers tell him that they fear that he might break his leg when he does his unbelievable acts. “My leg is painless and it never breaks. It is just that it allows me to swing it in any position and I regard this as an advantage. My dancing skills have earned me respect and I am happy because people enjoy my performances. My peers used to taunt me for my disability when I was still young, not knowing that my disability will create fame for me.”

He says he enjoys being invited to perform in his village because he wants to prove that the disabled are also dignified people who have the ability to contribute to community development. “People tend to look down upon the disabled and I want to teach them that being disabled does not mean that one is useless. There are more amazing things that we can do which the so called ‘normal people’ cannot do.”

Sox says he also wants to do his performances outside the borders of his village to prove that disability is not the end of life. He concluded by encouraging other disabled community members to nurture and use their talents to contribute to the development of their communities.