Nokuthula Theodora Mabuza signed on the dotted line to be a sign language interpreter at the Gert Sibande District Municipality.
Sign language is her language of choice.
Born and raised by a single mother in Nhlazatshe, she is a native of the Gert Sibande District.
She started her schooling at Timeleni Primary School, matriculating at Hlabangamehlo Secondary School.
During her teens years she used to assist her blind aunt in many disability forums and meetings where she discovered her passion for sign language.
There she met people from all walks of life with various disabilities.
“I saw a sign language interpreter at one of these meetings and I wanted to be one,” says Nokuthula.
She pursued this goal, but life had other plans.
She enrolled at the Guide Dog College, as she has vast experience working as an aide to her aunt.
There she trained as an orientation and mobility instructor, teaching blind people independence and skills of daily living.
However, her passion for sign language would not subside, causing her to leave her course midway to start a sign language course.
She joined DeafSA, a team striving for a fully functional deaf community with equality in society, where they empower one another to make use of opportunities in order to create and sustain a high quality of life for deaf people.
She enrolled in a one-year course, which saw her study the language extensively and that was when her dream came true.
She is adamant that learning sign language is her biggest achievement to date.
Being part of DeafSA helped her spread her wings, as she became a regional and eventually a provincial interpreter.
“There we travelled the whole province of Mpumalanga, interpreting for social auxiliary workers. It was hard, it was challenging, it was taxing, but very fulfilling,” she says.
While working for DeafSA, she graduated with a diploma in languages at the University of Witwatersrand.
She is multilingual, as she officially knows five languages, including sign language. In June, she was appointed sign language interpreter at Gert Sibande District Municipality.
“It has been amazing here at GSDM. The people have welcomed me with open arms and I look forward to all the challenges coming my way as well as the goals I will definitely achieve.”
Nokuthula will travel extensively around Gert Sibande District to community outreach projects and meetings where she will help deaf individuals understand the spoken language by interpreting it into sign language.
She is currently furthering her studies at Wits and admits there are few people in her field.
This is why she encourages young people, especially women, to explore the field, as it breaks barriers in communication.
“Just knowing I can speak to a person that cannot hear a sound is amazing in itself, so I wish every person can learn sign language to make life for the deaf so much easier.”
It is safe to say that Nokuthula has signed her life away to enhancing the lives of the deaf.
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