The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) Disability Unit and the Product Devel­opment Technology Station (PDTS) held a handover function on 14 October 2022 at the Hotel School, do­nating assistive devices to students and members of the community.

The event was attended by the Chair of Council, Cllr Matthew Rantso, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal of CUT, Prof. Alfred Ngowi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Resources and Operations, Dr Gary Paul, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Prof. Sam Mashele, Chair of Innovation and Commercialisation of Additive Manufacturing at CUT, Prof. Deon de Beer, Sen­ior Director of Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Dr Ntsoaki Malebo, Director: CRPM, Dr Gerrie Booysen, PDTS Deputy Director, Ms Shelly Mona, wheelchair inventor, Mr Schalk van der Merwe, and the beneficiaries.

CUT, which is living by its vision that by 2030 it will be the leading African University of Technology shaping the future through innovation, worked together with the inventor of the 3-in-1 wheelchair, Mr Schalk van der Merwe, and two universities in the United King­dom, Aston and Loughborough, to im­prove the wheelchair design and man­ufacture it on the African continent.

In his welcoming address, Prof. Ngowi said the university is supporting the government in its call for the full representation and participation of peo­ple with disabilities. “We know that any assistive device is a life-changing expe­rience, as it opens doors to education for learners with disabilities. It also opens doors to employment and social inter­action for adults living with a disability. Without these tools, they are often iso­lated and confined to their homes and excluded from educational opportuni­ties, as most of our institutions are still grappling with the means of support for differently abled people.”

Ngowi told the partners gathered that the project is part of the university’s commitment to assist community members, including differently-abled CUT students. “Denying people access to these life-changing tools violates their constitutional rights,” he added.

The university donated four 3-in-1 wheelchairs, two automatic wheel­chairs, and one cranial protector.    A ten-year-old Olebogeng Visagie was the recipient of the protector.  His mother said that she was ex­cited now that her child was going to be protected from injuries. “I thank God for this beautiful day, and I’m happy that my child will no longer be hurt­ing and I believe this will protect him way more than before,” stated the emo­tional mother.

Kesaoleboga Mabuzweni, a CUT student and the beneficiary of an automatic wheelchair, related her sto­ry about what led to her physical dis­ability, saying she was happy that the wheelchair came with more independ­ence. “From the standard wheelchair to an automatic wheelchair screams more independence, and I am thank­ful to the university because I am now more flexible compared to before, and I can now easily identify and transfer some of my mobility aids. 

“I can do almost eighty percent of the things I could not do in the past year,” she explained. Mabuzweni added that despite the university still having accessibility challenges, she was glad there were improvements compared to the past. She lauded CUT lecturers for be­ing accommodating and helpful.

Chabeli Sothoane, who hails from Mokwallo, the small town of Vredefort in the Free State, beamed with excite­ment, saying his life would not be the same as he would now enjoy the perks of being free and independent. “I am happy that I will soon be com­fortable in my chair compared to my old one. I will now be able to move and so­cialise with other people without both­ering anyone for help,” the 56-year-old Sothoane rejoiced.

According to inventor Van der Mer­we, the wheelchair has hand cycle ca­pabilities to help with mobility and re­liability in rural areas and dur­ing travel. “My experience birthed the idea of design­ing the chair with an adaptable third wheel for off-roading as many rural ar­eas have limited paved roads,” outlined Van der Merwe. He added that they made some changes to the wheelchair, which is different from the current design.

The chair costs up to R80 000 when the parts are imported from overseas. “We manufacture all this for only R7 000, and we use bicycle parts. We use these parts because we want to en­sure that accessibility is easier to the people in our communities,” Van der Merwe said. The university is now able to mass produce these wheelchairs, with 20 of them already built and ten more expect­ed to be manufactured soon.

Caption

From left: Prof. Samson Mashele, acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Dr Malebo Ntsoaki, Senior Director: Innovation in Learning and Teaching, Dr Gary Paul, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Resources and Operations, Cllr Matthew Rantso, Chairperson of Council, Prof. Alfred Ngowi, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

Seated: Wheelchair recipient, Mr Tello Mofodi.