Local woman crowned Ms/Mrs Deaf SA

Annamarie Matthysen, a remarkable woman from Daspoort, overcame many challengesen route to being crowned Ms/Mrs Deaf SA 2022.

Born in Brakpan, Matthysen has overcome many challenges that would overwhelm and demoralise the average person.

Matthysen was born deaf and attended Sonitus Skool vir Hardhorendes en Transoranje Skool vir Dowes.

The Ms/Mrs Deaf SA winner said deaf people are often seen by many as stupid with no use for society, which is far from the truth.

“They are also often treated with disdain and made to feel like second-class citizens with little chance of succeeding in life,” she said.

This, however, has not deterred Matthysen from making the most of her life.

“Many deaf people get treated very poorly,” she said.

“People see us as disabled and stupid.

“This has a very negative impact, and causes frustration, feelings of rejection and often resulting in withdrawal from society.”

Matthysen had been following the Ms/Mrs Deaf SA competition for many years before finally making the decision to give it a shot.

“I got my inspiration from previous participants and signed up,” said Matthysen.

“My intentions were not to win the crown, but to build my confidence and self-image and get involved with worthwhile causes to make a difference in our society.

“Many of these causes reach out to people who are ill, poor and in need.

“They also reach out to children and various other charitable organisations.”

Winning the crown was no easy feat, but Matthysen found the journey, and what it entailed, very rewarding and enriching.

“As a finalist, we had to support a charitable organisation of our choice.

“We organised a fundraising event for them to demonstrate our entrepreneurial skills to the judges.”

During this time, Matthysen also worked with the needy and children from less-privileged backgrounds.

She spent time with children suffering from cancer and had tea with the elderly residents of Daspoort as part of Mandela Day.

The competition also gave her the opportunity to show her love for animals.

“My love for animals inspired me to get involved with an organisation that collected dog food.

“I also organised a carnival and baking competition which was very exciting and challenging.”

After demonstrating her skills and competence, Matthysen was crowned Ms/Mrs Deaf SA at the Playhouse Company in Durban on September 3.

For her undying efforts for the various charities she was involved with, she also won the charity and social media categories of the competition.

Matthysen told Rekord that, despite all the challenges deaf people face, they can still make a success of themselves.

“I believe deaf persons have a goal and purpose in life,” she said.

“Despite the challenges you face and how people might treat you, you must never underestimate yourself.

“Stand strong and live your dream; your best is enough and your goals important and worth the effort.

“They are possible and you deserve to be heard.”

Matthysen also enjoys a happy family life.

She and her husband of 17 years have seven children together.

When asked how people can make life a little bit easier for deaf people, Matthysen had the following tips:

– Get the person’s attention and get them to see your face to allow them to read your lips.

– Speak clearly at a steady pace that we can follow and don’t shout as that makes it harder to read your lips.

– Try and keep background noise to a minimum and be patient with us.

Most importantly, Matthysen encouraged ordinary citizens to embrace deaf people and make them part of the community.

Learning Sign language will also be of great help.

“The South African Sign language was recently announced as the 12th official language and I encourage everyone to learn it,” said Matthysen.

*Please note this article has been amended

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