“There is hope after blindness.” These were the words of Vusumzi Makhaya, a visually impaired facilitator at the Mpumalanga Association for the Blind and Rehabilitations (MABR). This non-profit organisation teaches visually impaired individuals to read and type in braille. It was established on October 19, 2020, and currently has 15 students from across the country. The education centre is located next to St Michael’s Anglican Church, which provides the organisation with a space to teach.

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Makhaya, who was born blind, is originally from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. He completed matric in 2017 before studying computer literacy at the SA National Council for the Blind, and joined MABR in 2024.

“Most visually impaired people sit at home and feel like they have no purpose, but here there is hope. We can learn to read and write, because our minds are still full of potential,” Makhaya said.

Another facilitator, Makhosonke Magudulela, joined the organisation after being diagnosed with Stargardt disease in 2019. “I worked as an electrician until 2018 before learning about my disease,” he said.

“The problem with employing a visually impaired person is that companies need to employ a second person to assist them, which they can’t always afford.” However, he added that there is light at the end of the tunnel. “The town has its own visually impaired judge who works at the Mpumalanga High Court,” Magudulela said.

A teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, previously taught business studies, creative arts, and economic and management sciences at a local school before joining the centre after becoming partially sighted. “Earlier this year in March, I discovered that my right eye had a retinal detachment and I had to stop teaching,” she explained. She hopes to learn braille to continue her teaching career by educating visually impaired learners.

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The association relies on community donations to sustain its work and also generates income by making soap for Southern Sun hotels. In addition to financial support, they welcome food and hardware donations to assist their learners.