Take us seriously says, disabled Mamatseane

As the country celebrates Youth Month, one disabled young woman has stood up to raise awareness about the plight of disabled youths. Businesswoman Ms Mathilda Mamatseane has called on the government to consider disabled youths seriously for job opportunities.

The 35-year-old Soweto-born businesswoman, who owns a woodwork project at Gondeni la Hamabilu outside Thohoyandou, is also a finalist in the Miss South Africa Disability 2024 competition. She said that the youth had nothing to celebrate as long as they remained without jobs and opportunities to improve their lives.

Mamatseane is well equipped academically but remains unemployed. Among her qualifications, she holds a B-Tech degree in human resource management as well as a postgraduate diploma in labour law from the University of Johannesburg. She has also done volunteer work for many organisations.

“As [the] youth, especially the disabled of this country, we are not taken seriously when it comes to job opportunities. Many of us have skills and qualifications, but those skills are not put to use as we remain excluded from the mainstream job market. As disabled people, we are not taken seriously and not considered in the job market. We can do most types of jobs and even do them better than those who regard themselves as ‘normal’ people. I can tell you, Youth Month means nothing to most of us. Besides job opportunities, [the] youth should be trained in skills that they can use to create jobs for themselves,” she said.

She added that she had started a woodwork business to support herself, but this was not doing well. “I am so grateful for the opportunity I was given by the IEC to serve during the elections, even though it was one day’s work. It meant a lot to me, and I proved a point: we can, as people living with disabilities, do better. I’m still yearning for the opportunity to make changes in our society and our beloved country. Please take us seriously and give us opportunities. As youth, we deserve a stake, and we will celebrate this month,” said Mamatseane.

Date:20 June 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.

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