An inspiration to the young

Simon Makgobela is a true inspiration to anyone struggling to get through things in life. When he lost both his legs, he said that nothing in this world would ever keep him down.

A train accident at the young age of just 16 changed his life forever. The only way forward was to put all of his energy into cycling. After meeting a cyclist with a similar disability, and taking the opportunity to take a ride on his custom-made hand-pedal driven bicycle, Simon knew exactly what he needed. Since then he has competed in many major para-cycling competitions.

Read more on Simon here:

https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/357114/no-legs-not-a-challenge-for-simon/

https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/331376/weekend-instead-of-just-providing-a-service-they-gave-a-wheelchair/

However, his hope of participating again in the Paralympics in 2020 is in danger of completely falling away. Recently Simon has had some bad luck and has been struggling to get back up. But, he’ll never stop trying. For nearly a year and a half now, Simon has been unable to find a sponsor and, as a result, has not been able to compete in any major tournaments.

For the past month, Simon has been out of training completely after his bicycle’s one pedal and gear broke off. The cost for fixing this component is in the range of R4 500, which is money that he simply doesn’t have. With a family to feed, it’s difficult to spare anything to send his bicycle to a shop. Being disabled, his main source of income comes from donations, which he mostly receives by standing at a street corner in Noordheuwel.

On top of providing for himself and his family, saving up to fix his bicycle and trying to pay for competitions, Simon is now pursuing his dream of creating a safe place in Munsieville for children to go after school, where they can better themselves and have some fun. With the help of his friends, Simon has cleaned up a make-shift dumping sight in Munsieville, removing trash and rubble by hand. In this open field, kids can play soccer, sing, dance and are taught karate. Simon did karate for many years to protect himself after his accident.

His hope is to get sponsors, and to get some help from the local municipality to build a proper sports centre. Above all, he wants to build a rugby field where children can learn and play ‘ghetto rugby’.

Residents of Munsieville love the idea, and many bring their children here and pick them up when Simon closes at 6.30pm. But, this piece of land has no grass and is still littered with some trash. There is so much that he intends to do with the space, but he is struggling with the funds to do so.

Simon’s main reason for setting up the centre is to keep the local children out of trouble. He wants to get them off of the streets and keep them active.