HAMUTSHA – A courageous disabled man emerged as the toast of his village because of his hard work, perseverance and the desire to succeed.

Born with deformed lower limbs, Kovhanani Muofhe (58) of Hamutsha-Tshitandani has undoubtedly proved that disability has never been a stumbling block for success. He has gone on record as the first and most successful bicycle repairman in his village. He has also established a vegetable garden at his home, where he sells his vegetable to the public. He feeds the hungry stomachs in the village as he also sells live chickens. He does fencing jobs for his fellow villagers on a regular basis as well, to earn some cash.

How did a disabled man without lower limbs manage all these?

“Success is a matter of obligation and it does not depend on the physical appearance of a person. My legs are totally deformed, but my brains are as sharp as a new razor blade. As a disabled person, I needed to prove to the whole world that the disabled are also human beings who can contribute to the development of the society…”

Married to unemployed Eunice with four children aged between 2 and 21, Kovhanani said he could not only depend on the government’s disability grant because the money was enough for his big family.

“I had to make sure that I try other means of making money. I dropped out of school in Std 5 and there was nothing I could do as I am not well educated. I could not just watch while my kids go to bed on empty stomachs. That is why I decided to put my disability aside and work hard to provide for my own family. Time for begging is over and I encourage other disabled people to work hard to to develop their own communities…”

Kovhanani says he started fixing bicycles in 1974. “My late father, Frans, taught me all the skills but I never thought that he was equipping me with the knowledge that will assist to eliminate hunger in my family. I fix everything in a bicycle and on weekends, I can service between seven and ten of them.”

Kovhanani has his own bicycle but he usually asks his best friend, Elias Mukwevho, to transport him around the village.

The disabled genius has erected a chicken shed on his own, where he rears his chickens which he sells to the public.

“I never bother people to work for me because I can do everything on my own. I also plant and take care of my vegetable garden on my own. I know the fruits of my hard labour are always paying off as villagers never stop buying my products,” said Kovhanani, who now crawls on his own, because his wheelchair is broken.

Through his hard work, Kovhanani has managed to raise funds for building a five-roomed, fully furnished house for his family.