When he was first sent to Tanzania to study orthotics and prosthetics, Ncedo Ludada didn't even know what it was. Now he's changing thousands of lives with his creations.
Ncedo Ludada putting the final touches on one of his prosthetics. Picture: Supplied
Growing up in the impoverished village of Ntlaza in the Eastern Cape, Ncedo Ludada wanted to be a civil engineer, designing and building mega structures such as roads, bridges, buildings, airports, tunnels and dams. “It is something I never imagined I would end up doing but here I am, changing people’s lives,” the 37 year old said. It all started in 2004, when Ludada found himself on a flight to Tanzania as part of a group selected by the department of health to study medical orthotics and prosthetics at Tumaini University in Moshi Town. “I did not even understand what…
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Growing up in the impoverished village of Ntlaza in the Eastern Cape, Ncedo Ludada wanted to be a civil engineer, designing and building mega structures such as roads, bridges, buildings, airports, tunnels and dams.
“It is something I never imagined I would end up doing but here I am, changing people’s lives,” the 37 year old said.
It all started in 2004, when Ludada found himself on a flight to Tanzania as part of a group selected by the department of health to study medical orthotics and prosthetics at Tumaini University in Moshi Town. “I did not
even understand what orthotics and prosthetics entailed,” he said.
Ludada graduated with a bachelor of health sciences degree in medical orthotics and prosthetics in 2009.
He was then employed by the health department, obtained a master’s degree (Australia) in 2015, and was then employed by Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha as a lecturer.
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents.
He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada putting the final touches on one of his prosthetics. Picture: Supplied
Ncedo Ludada creates artificial limbs, giving back mobility and independence to people born without limbs, or who have lost them in accidents. He says there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a person wheeled into his practice, and then watching them walk out of the door moments later. Pictures: Supplied
In October 2018, he went on his own, opening his practice in Mthatha, focusing on the quality of orthotics and prosthetics designs.
Thanks to Mbewu, a Barloworld flagship entrepreneurial incubation programme, Ludada and Associates is one of more than 500 private practitioners in SA, with a state-of-the-art laboratory and factory in Mthatha.
According to Noluvo Vovo Ngcwabe, head of social investment at Barloworld, Mbewu was launched in 2019, to provide support to social enterprises and startups that work innovatively to solve challenges in society through entrepreneurial activities.
The programme sought to drive economic sustainability, transformation and growth through development, funding
and facilitating access to markets for small- and medium-sized enterprises. “Finalists incubated into the Mbewu programme join the ranks of past social entrepreneurs who are already blazing a trail in their industries.
“Successful candidates incubated into the Mbewu programme will receive mentorship, funding to scale up their operations and access to markets,” Ngcwabe said.
Eligible social SA-run enterprises that have been operational for a year have until the end of
May to apply to take part in the 2021 round of the incubation programme.
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