SOKOUTENDA – Those who still believe that the disabled are useless members of the community should think twice. This is a strong message from two brave disabled sisters who have proven beyond doubt that hard work breeds success.

Avhahumi Masindi (36) and her elder sister Azwifaneli (46) were born with totally deformed lower limbs, but they did not allow their disability to drag them into the world of depression and discouragement. Through their disability grants, the sisters have jointly built a five-roomed fully furnished house. They have also established a vegetable garden in their yard at Sokoutenda village, west of Sibasa.

They sell the vegetables to the public to earn extra cash. They owe their success to the support from their mother, Vele (64), and their late father, Frank, who have been their pillars of strength since birth. The sisters have always been a source of inspiration who command huge respect around the province because of their constructive ideas.

Although they were born to a poor family, both sisters passed their Grade 12 with flying colours at Phaswana High School. Avhahumi is armed with a diploma in computer studies, whereas Azwifaneli plans to further her studies in interior decoration.

Avhahumi recalls how tough it was when she started school. “We used to crawl because our parents could not afford to buy wheelchairs for us. I acquired my first wheelchair when I started my schooling at Tshilidzini Special School in 1983. Life became tougher when my father died in 1987, while I was doing Std 5. I was promoted three times during my primary schooling before I proceeded to Phaswana High School, where I passed my Grade 12 in 1994.”

She advises other disabled people to utilize their disability grants profitably in order to improve their lives. “I started getting my disability grant in 1983 and, together with my sister, we saved enough until we could build our own house. It is good to save the little that one has because one will never know what happens the next day. The disabled must stop begging on the street corners. They must learn to work for themselves rather than depend on other people for survival.”

The sisters are self-dependent and go shopping on their own. They also do their own cooking, cleaning and washing.

About their vegetable garden, Azwifaneli said: “We put our wheelchairs aside and work in the vegetable garden because we know it brings money to the family. We use our special spades, garden forks and shovels to prepare the soil for planting. We depend on ourselves because we know we are more abled than those who claim to be normal. We will never hire someone to do the job for us because we have the ability to accomplish the job. We are aiming for a bigger farm where we will produce and sell the vegetables in bulk.”

The sisters say they are disappointed by people who look at them with sympathy and feel sorry for them. Avhahumi says: “Why feel sorry for us, because we are human beings like you? We need to be treated like other people and we are not happy with special treatment from community members…”