I don’t need eyes to take care of my baby – Blind Woman

By Ngere Ify Davies On Jan 21, 2019

A blind woman identified as Smangele Dhladhla from Diepkloof, Soweto, South Africa, who has a one-year-old baby girl, in an interview disclosed that she doesn’t need eyes to take care of her baby.

The blind woman who christened her daughter Katekani, which means blessing, said the first day she visited the clinic to confirm her pregnancy, she was asked if she was raped.

“I’m blind but I’m not stupid. I need hands, ears and a nose to do my work as a mother,” said Smangele.

“I am human too. I have feelings and I have a boyfriend. He is also blind.”

The lady who is a goalball player for the Western Gauteng team in Roodepoort, a game designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment, started playing three years ago as a reserve. The players compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents’ goal. The ball is thrown by hand and never kicked.

“At first I didn’t take it seriously but then I went for trials where they were looking for players to represent South Africa at the Paraplegic Games. “I wasn’t selected but coach Phillip Williams noticed my playing skills.

“Now I’m the captain of the team and I play centre,” she said.