APD Free State's Director, Nthabiseng Molongoana
How a young woman’s world changed forever in 1994, and how she chose to change the world right back
Nthabiseng Molongoana was just 18 when everything changed. One moment, she was a spirited young woman from Botshabelo with big dreams of becoming a teacher; the next, she was lying in a hospital bed, her life forever altered by a taxi accident that would have broken many people. But Nthabiseng isn’t most people.
“I had always believed that education was my ticket to success,” she remembers, thinking back to her school days at Mariasdal Catholic School in Tweespruit. She was already on her path, studying to become a teacher at college in Mogwase, determined to transform young lives through education. The accident didn’t just change her body—it redirected her entire purpose toward something much bigger.
When Life Gives You Lemons…
Most people would have given up. Nthabiseng got creative. While still working a full-time job, she started her own business. “I wasn’t going to let this define what I couldn’t do,” she says. She returned to school, this time pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus on Statistics and Psychology from the University of the Free State, graduating in 2004. Every lecture hall, every exam room, and every group project became a lesson in navigating the world as a person with a disability.
But her real education was happening outside the classroom—learning firsthand what it meant to live with a disability in South Africa, and more importantly, what needed to change.
Building Dreams, One Room at a Time
Nthabiseng had a dream for her late mother—to build her a beautiful home where she could be comfortable and happy. That dream became Lentha’s Lodge, and what started as a labour of love became an award-winning accommodation business. But Nthabiseng, ever the visionary, saw the changing needs in her community. People needed more than just a place to stay for a night or two—they needed stable, long-term housing solutions.
So she pivoted. The guesthouse became a provider of long-term lodging, serving people who needed somewhere to call home for months rather than days. “It’s about seeing what your community needs and being brave enough to change,” she explains.
With guidance from Risna Opperman through the SAB Foundation Tholoana enterprise development programme, Nthabiseng isn’t just thinking about one successful lodge—she’s dreaming of a whole chain. And knowing her track record, it’s not really a question of if, but when.
Making Change from the Inside Out
Today, as Provincial Director of APD Free State, Nthabiseng isn’t just running programs—she’s transforming lives across the entire province. Every day, she oversees services for hundreds of people, from residential care at the Jean Webber Home to skills training at Kopano Workshop. But what makes her leadership special isn’t just what she does—it’s how she does it.
“When you’ve lived it, you understand it differently,” she says. Having navigated schools, hospitals, and business meetings as a person with a disability, she brings an authenticity to her work that you can’t learn from a textbook. When she talks about “Re-framing the Disabilities Initiative into a Strategic Institutional Competitive Advantage,” people listen—because they know she’s walked that walk.
The Ripple Effect
Thanks to Casual Day funding, Nthabiseng’s team doesn’t just provide services—they create opportunities. Transport for job interviews. Skills training that leads to real employment. Advocacy that changes minds and policies. But perhaps most importantly, they change the conversation about what’s possible.
She’s not just talking theory either. Nthabiseng has worked with the Human Sciences Research Council, contributing to national research on how COVID-19 affected people with disabilities. Her insights help shape policy at the highest levels, ensuring that real, lived experiences inform the decisions that affect millions of South Africans.
Looking Forward
Nthabiseng’s story isn’t finished—not by a long shot. She’s expanding her accommodation business, contributing to national research, and every day, proving that disability doesn’t limit vision, ambition, or the power to create change.
“Success isn’t about what happened to you,” she reflects. “It’s about what you choose to do next.”
Your Part in the Story
This September, when you support Casual Day, you’re not just donating to a cause—you’re investing in leaders like Nthabiseng who refuse to accept that things can’t change. Your contribution funds the programs that turn obstacles into opportunities and barriers into bridges.
Visit casual-day.co.za to register your organisation or make a donation. Because some stories are too important not to support, and some leaders are too inspiring not to back.
Support Casual Day 2025—because every significant change starts with someone brave enough to believe it’s possible.
