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Mbongeleni Kumalo from Vari village cuts one of his clients' hair at his barber shop, located at Elim centre opposite to Midas. Photo: Thembi Siaga.

Disabled barber says there is no excuse not to follow your dreams

 

Those who still believe that disability is a stumbling block to success have only to watch Mbongeleni Kumalo at work to be proven wrong. Despite being born with cerebral palsy (a spinal disorder), Mbongeleni has refused to let his disability define his life.

Mbongeleni (24) hails from Vari village, where he runs his own barber shop and employs an assistant too. He never fails to put a smile on his customers’ faces. “Being a barber is just a part of who I am, and it keeps me going. I guess that is why I have more customers than any other barber around Elim. I have learnt that I have lots of friends within the community. Even people who don’t know me support me and I really appreciate them for it. They do not undermine me because of my disability, but they keep on supporting and believing in me,” he said.

Mbongeleni discovered his skill when he was 13 years old. “I fell in love with cutting hair in 2011, and to me it was a sign to discover my talent. My mentor, Nndwamato Ramadi, used to encourage me not to give up when I sometimes felt discouraged. He kept on telling me to push harder.”

The young barber is an enthusiastic achiever who has put his disability aside to set a shining example by turning into a torchbearer for the disabled in his community. “I am a unique barber who does not copy from others. I do my own thing. Many people from far away could not come and support me while I still worked from home. That is why I opened my barber shop at the shopping centre,” he said.

He shared the challenges he was faced with before people around him started to support him. “There were people from my village who would not pay me after I had cut their hair. I had many doubts before I decided to open my own barbershop.” Mbongeleni says that Ramadi Nndwamato, who also runs a barbershop from Ha-Mashau village, taught him to put more effort into it when things got tough. “I called Ramadi and told him my doubts about opening a barbershop and he advised me to try first and see what happens; if I was lucky, I might make it,” he said.

Mbongeleni works very hard to sharpen his skills to keep up with the latest hairstyles and trends. “There are many ways how I learn new skills. I invest a lot of my time into it. Growing up, it was something I needed, and I was determined. So, that is how I got to making a life for myself; because of the zeal that was within me.”

 

 

Date:02 April 2022

By: Thembi Siaga

Thembi Siaga started as an intern during 2021. He assisted with video photography and editing. He also produced numerous small documentaries, focusing on the Vhembe region and its people. Currently he works as a freelance journalist, covering stories in the Elim area.

Thembi studied at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he completed his diploma in Journalism in 2021.

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