Fit-To-Fly
Annual Awareness Event

Awareness event and Limpopo senior trials – 5 October 2024

A first of its kind, the IsAbility Fit-to-fly event on 5 October was hailed by many as the foundation for an annual event that holds the potential to become a unifying, activating community drive. 

IsAbility is extremely grateful for the energy and support shown by a variety of community-based organisations, sponsors, small businesses and locals, as well as some supporters and sponsors from other provinces.

Fun runners braved the cold, windy weather to run alongside Paralympic gold and bronze medallist, Mpumelelo Mhlongo, our own Paralympian star, Sheryl James, and talented Paralympian discus thrower and record holder at the World Youth Games, Yané van der Merwe. There was great excitement when Vhuthuhawe Nemutandani, our local Jumping Kids ambassador, completed the fun run in a track racing chair. Another of our celebrity visitors, single amputee dancer Lethabo Shai, completed the 5 km on crutches.

A local business, MMK Insurance Administrators, kindly sponsored the medals for the athletes and the acting mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality handed out certificates of appreciation to athletes who performed with excellence at the 2024 SASAPD National Championships.

To add a touch of colour to the day, local artist Inarie de Vaal, produced a stunning canvas to depict the theme, ‘Fit-to-fly’ and attendees enthusiastically signed the canvas to commit to being ‘fit to fly’ in whatever capacity it might be. Inarie also displayed her beautiful artwork. The local SPCA farmers market and art and craft stalls braved the wind and weather to provide a variety of local produce and items, while a number of food stalls kept us fed with tasty treats. 

Young dancers from the Dance-for-joy dancing studio, entertained us with some beautiful dances, while Karen Louw from Studio-K demonstrated how to keep our bodies toned and balanced by presenting a live, interactive Pilates session with some volunteers. 



The Soutpansberg Running Club organised the Fun run and their members showed us that not only can they run long distances, but they also have members who are great 100 m stars. The 100 m dash also drew some young Jumping Kids blade runners who were present to showcase what is possible. There was a wheelchair push dash over 100 m which produced some epic performances. Cash prizes, sponsored by the Summit Africa Foundation, were handed out by their representative, Tannith Thompson. Prizes for schools were very generously sponsored by Surat Patel. 

About 85 senior para-athletes from Tzaneen, Polokwane, Giyani, Maruleng, Makhuduthamaga, Elim, Nzhelele, Thohoyandou, Collins Chabane and Louis Trichardt, spent the morning throwing javelin, discus and shotput. These athletes were generously hosted and catered for by the Vhembe District Municipality. 

Discover Sport, a media house based in Johannesburg, was present to film the day’s activities and produced a video of some key points and interviews, which can be viewed on their website,

DISCOVERSPORT.com.  We were also very privileged to have Mr Ben Thomas as our master of ceremonies for the day. His remarkable and engaging commentary kept the buzz alive and momentum going throughout the day’s activities.

IsAbility would like to thank all of our sponsors, stakeholders and supporters, without whom this special event would not have been possible: the Summit Africa Foundation, MMK insurance, Discover Sport, Talisman for mobile accessible toilets, Oasis water, Macridge, Surat Patel, Blissbrands, Suuntoe, and Soutpansberg Valley Flowers.  The Soutpansberg Running 

Club deserves a special word of thanks, as do Emmanuel Christian School and Emmanuel Christian Church for providing volunteer staff, Pastor Jimmy Scheepers for opening the day’s proceedings, Louis Trichardt High School for generously allowing us to use the venue and facilities, Karen Louw from Studio-K (Pilates), Betty and the dancers from Dance-for-joy, Lethabo Shai, DJ Jonty, Inarie de Vaal, Mr Themeli from the Vhembe District Municipality, The acting Vhembe District Mayor, Ben Thomas, and last but by no means least, a huge thank you to our elite Paralympians and medallists who chose to spend a few days in our world.

Awareness event and trials: 6 September 2025

The IsAbility Fit-to-fly event on 6 September was an awareness event combined with senior trials. IsAbility is extremely grateful to Foodcity (local KFC) for sponsoring a new track chair for the club, which Vhuthu used for a 2 km fun ‘run’ on the day. This increases our capacity to develop potential track chair athletes. FoodCity-LTT has also assisted with discounted meals for our athletes at some of our events, and with prizes and goodie bags. We are humbled by their commitment to community involvement on many levels. 

The Soutpansberg Running Club once again organised the Fun run this year and we love working together with them. On a para-athletic level, about 85 senior para-athletes from our various areas spent the morning racing around, throwing javelin, discus and shotput, taking part in our Senior trials. These athletes were generously catered for by the Limpopo Dept. of Sport, Art and Culture. Discover Sport filmed the day’s activities and produced a video of some key points and interviews, which can be viewed on their website, DISCOVERSPORT.com.  We were also very privileged to again have Mr Ben Thomas as our master of ceremonies for the day. His remarkable and engaging commentary kept the buzz alive and momentum going throughout the day’s activities.

Fit-To-Fly Assistive Device Programme

Thanks to generous sponsorships, the Fit to Fly programme has 18 standing frames and 2 Adjustable trikes that are issued to pre-assessed children as part of mobility programmes emanating from the Louis Trichardt Hospital rehabilitation team. Monitoring and re-evaluation takes place on a regular basis to ensure adherence to the programme and to avoid complications or mal-functioning.

In spite of considerable challenges with transport from time to time, the programme is running well and we are seeing remarkable improvements in the children receiving therapy with the assistance of the devices. During the past six months, several patients started to walk and improve in various areas of their development. Some of these children no longer have need of their device, which has been returned to the clinic. The equipment on hand is still in a good condition and can be re-issued to clients in need. 

Use of these devices benefits the recipients’ neurodevelopmental rehabilitation programme. It certainly improves quality of life and enhances activities of daily living for children living with physical disabilities and mobility impairments. We are grateful that we can be involved on this level in our rural communities where access to resources and assistive devices is so limited.

Footprints

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

We All Have A Footprint

Thanks to Jumping Kids we have opportunity in Limpopo to make high value, inclusive education available to identified learners. 

Vhuthuhawe Nemutandani was the first beneficiary of our education programme in Limppo in 2018. At Isability Sports Club Limpopo’s first Mass athletics event in Louis Trichardt, this young double amputee became the recipient of a prosthetic limb courtesy of IsAbility and the Jumping Kids project.   At the time he was a learner at a Special Needs School. In January 2021 the young amputee, Vhuthuhawe Nemutandani was enrolled in one of the top schools in the Limpopo Province, Emmanuel Christian School. The rest is history – he is now in grade 10 and a top ten learner in mainstream schooling with a bright future ahead of him. 

And so, all the institutions and individuals who have joined hands to give Vhuthu his best possible prospect to fulfil his God-given purpose, are partners in giving Vhuthu an opportunity to make a meaningful footprint. 

“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works …..”  Ephesians 2:10.

As each individual has a unique set of fingerprints, so too do we each create a unique set of footprints as we journey through life.  Our footprints are the ‘trace’ of ourselves that we leave behind as we move through life, impacting the people we engage with and the environment around us.   

Just because someone might be missing a foot, or in fact might have no feet at all, does not mean that they do not leave a “footprint” in society. In fact, there are many physically challenged individuals who have left a huge footprint, not only in their own communities, but on a global platform.

Educational challenges that face a learner with a physical disability in Limpopo Province
  • While Limpopo Province in South Africa boasts several Primary LSEN schools (Schools for learners with special needs/ Special schools), there are very few LSEN secondary (high) schools.  
  • This means that many physically challenged learners in this province leave school at the end of grade 7.  
  • Where do they go from there?  Do they end up dependent on a government disability grant? Whereas they should have access to opportunities to master a trade, learn a skill or study towards an academic or vocational qualification that suits their individual talents and God-given purpose.  Can they become a breadwinner and support a family?  Can they become a functioning member of a vibrant, inclusive community where everyone has a unique role? Of course!
  • Many physically challenged learners are perfectly capable of completing an academic school career, which should extend up to grade 12.  Many of them are also capable of completing a suitable tertiary or vocational qualification. 
  • Perhaps, regarding inclusive education, a mindset has been entrenched in our communities and structures: the idea that there were too many obstacles in the way of allowing a special needs learner access to ‘ordinary’ schooling at an ‘ordinary’ school. 
  • The fact is that, if the management, staff and parents of a mainstream school really put their mind to it, the obstacles in the way of inclusive education are not so huge and the adaptations needed to include special needs learners are not necessarily hugely expensive or impossible to facilitate. This has been proven by the few mainstream schools who have had the courage to include physically challenged learners in their enrolment.