Thato Mphuthi; Miss President!

A long  pause  and stare  as  we  wait  for  a person with disability to  walk past, get  into  the taxi, climb the stairs, buy first, or  even skip the long  queue. How  many of  us  stopped to  stare  with eyes  filled with pity?  Thinking  at  the back of  our  minds  “oh shame”.  Do  we  even make space  or  allow  them  to be serviced first  only to  pass  demeaning  comments  and  to  express  our  frustrations  because  Lord knows  we  have  been standing  in  this  line for  forever?  Well, all day and  every day, the funny part  is that  the pity and shame  is  what  they feel for  us  because  it  goes on to  show  the level of  our ignorance  and insensitivity. If  anything, persons  with disability hate  the stares, truth be  told unnecessary. Thato  Mphuthi  Feminist  Activist  (sexual and  reproductive  health, rights  and  justice  champion, a leader  and  advocate  for  selfcare). Founder  of  Enabled Enlightenment, Gauteng  Youth Capital Influencer, Marie Stopes  Ambassador  and  Award Nominee She refuses to  be defined by it , is  a young  woman  living  with a disability. if  anything  at  all she uses it  to  challenge  status  quo. Silently in  our  little spaces, circles, and  corners  we  have  looked down on persons  with disabilities  so much that  we  are  uncomfortable around them  and  to  make up  for  all of  that  we  start  throwing  in the pity. Thato  broke so  many boundaries,  her  love  for  advocacy and  change  led  her  from  one campaign to  the next  till she reached the countless  milestones  in  her  life. Many would ask, where  did it  all start?  (I am just  as  curios myself  because I love  advocacy however, do  not  possess  the same  amount  of  zeal and passion that  Ms  Mphuthi  carries. She is  a ball  of  fire, not  to  mention untameable! ). It  all started with wanting  to  bring  about  change  and redefining how people  viewed her, behaved around her and how  she would then be  remembered. She refuses to  be remembered as  a previously disadvantaged, young,  black woman living  with a disability, because  she sure  is  more  than that  ‘Í am  a revolutionary’’ she said. 

Each generation has  their  own fights  and  for  each fight  there  is  always  a group  of  young  people  in that  generation that  advocates on those  issues, and  our  generation is  faced with challenges of  its own amongst  which include youth unemployment, substance  and drug  abuse,  an  increasing  plight  in newly HIV infections  amongst  adolescent  girls  and  young  women and  some  are  just  labelled  “visible pandemics”. We  are  faced with these  issues;  we  read  about  them,  tweet  about  them  and  share  our opinions  with friends  and  those  with ears  willing  to  hear.

 

They have grown into  discussions, dialogues  which may help  us  in creating  solutions  or  they might  even end  with us  just  talking  and taking  no  action thereafter. You need to  have  a passion for  what  you  do  and  love  of Thato’ advocacy if you  are  trying  to  leave  a mark. love  and  passion for  advocacy is  what  has  led her  to  participate  in  various  projects  that  led her  to  her  finally having  her  own initiative  (Enabled Enlightenment)  and  recently went  public  with news  of  her  website  enabledenlightenment.org.

Enabled  Enlightenment  exists  to  train, sensitize,  and formulate  campaigns  on disability awareness  whilst  educating  on all thing’s  disability related (some of not  most  of  us  talk and treat  persons  with disabilities  as  though they are  illiterate  or  constantly needing  pity) 

Here  is what  Thato  went  on to  share 

Q:  Why advocacy and  activism? 

A:  My love  and  passion for  advocacy and  taking  it  to  the streets  not  because  I like  thing  but  simply to amplify voices of  those  seen or  known as  “the marginalized”  to  ensure  we  have  a prop er representation, that’s  what  got  me hooked on the two. I  would never  miss  a single march because all things  intersect  and  the one would not  exist  without  the other, that  is  how  I also  got  the name Babes  womzabalazo.

 Q:  Where  do  you  see  yourself  in  5  year s?

A:  I see  myself  occupying  space  in  the UN  Women office  and ultimately being  the UN  Women President, everything  else  I am  doing  is  preparation for  a  seat  in  the UN. 

Q:  Favourite  quote  and why?

A:  “Well  behaved women seldom  make history”  by Laurel Thatche through reading  Miss  Behave  by Malebo  Sephodi , I was  introduced to  this  quote. This  quote  is  giving  me reason to  be a rebel for  a greater  cause. It  is  up  to  us  persons  without  disabilities  to  create  an  enabling  environment, where  we  recognize persons  with disabilities  as  human  first  before  their  disability. This  all can  be achieved by dropping these  pity parties  we  often throw  and  start  educating  ourselves  and  learning  from  individuals  like our  featured guest  and  many others  in  the disability sector. They are  human  and  are  deserving  of respect  and  dignity.