Palesa Manaleng & Masechaba Sefularo
Kamogelo Mokeke, who won the North West Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability award, said that she hoped that her award would inspire young people to achieve more despite their appearance or limitations.
JOHANNESBURG – Gymnastics South Africa walked away with four awards at the recent North West Sports Recognition Awards.
One of the winners was the talented Kamogelo Mokeke, who shared the Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability award with Liezel Gouws.
Mokeke said that she hoped that her award would inspire young people to achieve more despite their appearance or limitations.
Mokeke (17) lost her leg in a trampoline accident in 2017 but this has not stopped her from chasing her dream of wearing the national colours.
“It was on 4 April 2017, I had just proceeded to level 3 in tumbling, and I was 11-years-old in Grade 6. I was training on the trampoline when I injured my left leg and was rushed from hospital to hospital seeking medical help,” she explained.
She said that after being moved from several hospitals, she woke up and her leg was gone. She feels that the doctors could have avoided her amputation.
“I went through three hospitals from the 4th of April 2017 to the 7th of April 2017 where I woke up with my left leg being amputated above my knee. It is still very hard for me to accept that from a simple injury to a permanent disability that I feel could have been avoided by my doctors and surgeons,” Mokeke said.
The awards were hosted by the North West Arts, Sports, and Culture Department and took place at Sun City on Friday evening.
#NWSportsRecAwards Sportswoman of the Year with disability – Kamogelo Mokeke (Gymnastics) pic.twitter.com/6zQQ3l1d1n
— North West Dept Arts, Culture, Sport & Recreation (@ArtsSportNwpg) March 4, 2022
Mokeke had told Eyewitness News that just the idea of being nominated for an award excited her and that she already had her eyes set on bigger goals.
The youngster said that she hoped that her story acted as an inspiration to many who had lost hope.
“To me, it means even with a disability there are still awards, there are still goals that you can achieve as a human being. It’s not as if, if you have lost one of your limbs or your abilities, there are no goals for you to look forward to achieving,” she said.
#NWSportsRecAwards Sportswoman of the Year with disability – Liezel Gouws pic.twitter.com/lGMJHVQAEI
— North West Dept Arts, Culture, Sport & Recreation (@ArtsSportNwpg) March 4, 2022
Mokeke is a level 4 gymnast with Gymnastics South Africa and she hopes to get back into running and one day represent South Africa at the Paralympic Games.
“I am currently busy working towards the Paralympics, I want to start running again because after my accident I thought that my dream was over,” she said.
North West Sports MEC Galebekwe Tlhapi has described the awards as a confidence booster for young people while recognising their hard work in the various sporting codes.
There are 14 categories in total – the most prestigious being the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards.
Wow! 😮🤩🙌🏼 The incredible Kamogelo Mokeke who competed at the Gymnastics SA National Championships today alongside able bodied gymnasts. She lost her leg in a trampoline accident.#SAgymgames pic.twitter.com/OP6CFJMUmJ
— Gymnastics South Africa (@SAGymnastics) October 3, 2021