By Tommy Shikwambani
Meet Nthabiseng Anna Kwetepane (27) who is a person with short stature, hailing from the village of Ga Mothiba, Ga Mphasha in Limpopo province. She established a non–profit organisation (NPO) that advocates for the rights of persons of short stature in October 2021, to restore their dignity and by collaborating with her fellow persons of short stature.
The ambitious Kwetepane might look small but she has big dreams as she established this NPO to spread the word and create awareness about people with this disability and their rights. She says people with disabilities must be treated the same as the rest of the population. “People need to know that we are able to take care of ourselves. We are people just like everybody and we don’t need sympathy from anyone but to be respected the same way as persons without disability.”
Kwetepane would like to provide support, love and to work with government institutions and schools where she can help to educate learners about the manner in which they should treat persons with such a disability. She is concerned about public services that exclude little people such as public toilets and buildings that have no proper staircases for those with short stature.
“Some of the challenges I come across on a daily basis include the difficulty of accessing public sinks at the mall and some ofthe ATM machines,” she says.
During November, the month used by the provincial government to create disability awareness, Kwetepane says she noticed a little progress with regard to government’s attempts to redress inequalities. “I know our government has been considering people with disabilities, however, we, people of short staturefeel neglected.”
Limpopo provincial government spokesperson NdavheRamakuela told ThisAbility that they have various programmes that are being implemented to help uplift persons with disability.“There are 35 special schools and public ordinary schools educating more than 10 000 learners with disabilities. There are also more than 500 people with disabilities who are employed in provincial departments,” he said.
Growing up, Kwetepane says she was a victim of body shaming. She says more needs to be done to create awareness not only in November but throughout the year for people to realise and respect the rights of people of short stature.
Among the campaigns she is planning for her NPO will be volunteering in community projects and donation drives of clothes and sanitary pads.
