Lawyer working in Secunda and Standerton thrives despite being blind

Lerato Moumakwe (35) never thought her life would change so drastically when she was working late one evening in 2017 at the law firm of Cronje, De Waal-Skhosana in Secunda. She felt something wrong in her left eye.

“I winked and saw nothing. I did not make much of it because I thought I was just tired because of a few evenings of working late,” said Moumakwe.

Shortly after this incident, Moumakwe, who obtained her LLB degree and had worked at the firm since 2013, resigned to work for Sasol in its procurement department.

She was admitted as an attorney in 2015. Moumakwe had to go for induction at Graceland Hotel, Casino and Country Club before beginning her career at Sasol.

“I was sitting with a friend, waiting for the presentation to start. I asked him when they were starting with the presentation because we were told to be quiet.

“He said the presentation had already begun. I could feel him waving his hands in front of my eyes but I could not see anything – everything was black.”

They rushed Moumakwe to Bethal Hospital, where her mother was working as a nurse at the time. The doctor informed her the retina in her right eye was detached.

He said that evening when she was working late and felt something in her left eye, was probably when the left eye’s retina became detached.

A detached retina is a serious eye condition that occurs when the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, pulls from its normal position.

It can cause blurry vision, floaters, flashes of light, shadows, and a sudden decrease in vision. The doctor said they could not save Moumakwe’s left eye and would have to go for an operation to determine if they could save her right eye.

After 25 operations on her eyes from 2017 until the end of last year, Moumakwe reached a point where she emotionally, financially and physically could not take it anymore.

“I said if I am to be blind for the rest of my life, then so will be it. I could not take it anymore because after each operation it is four to six weeks’ recovery time and I have to take time off from work.

“I accepted this is what my life will be like now and I have to learn new ways to adapt and build my life around it.”

Moumakwe worked for Sasol from 2017 to 2020 despite her poor eyesight. She could still see a little, but she could not drive anymore and had to get special devices to enable her to do her job.

She left Sasol in 2020 when the company went through a restructuring process and then opened her own law firm, but it was challenging to get it off the ground. This was when Cronje, De Waal-Skhosana offered her a job again.

“It took me a year to change the system so that I can function and do my job as a lawyer,” said Moumakwe.

She met her fiancé, Mark Fairhurst, about eight months ago and he encouraged her not to give up on attempting to get her sight back.

She went for another procedure on her left eye in August and has already regained 20% of her vision. She is waiting for a special type of glasses that might improve her vision by 50% more.

Moumakwe signed up for a guide dog to make her life easier. Yoko, a three-year-old Labrador, entered her life in March this year.

“If I walk, I cannot see curbs or puddles of water and that is where she makes my life easier,” said Moumakwe.

However, she did not expect so much backlash from her community when she walked in the streets with her dog.

“People would make ugly remarks about my dog. I don’t think people realise what a big difference a guide dog can make in a blind person’s life.

“Losing my eyesight was not the worst thing; the inability to protect yourself and see where you are going was worse for me.”

Yoko can protect Moumakwe and guide her where to go. Moumakwe stated that her blindness causes people to underestimate her abilities.

“I can still give legal advice and do my job even though I am visually impaired,” said Moumakwe.

She has to work harder than other attorneys to get the bare minimum done, but she did not allow her eye condition to get the better of her.

She studied despite being blind and obtained her BCom degree in 2021. Moumakwe recently opened a branch of Cronje, De Waal – Skhosana in Standerton as well, and she said the success of her life and career is thanks to a wonderful support system.

She thanked her mother, Evelyn Moumakwe, for her support and also her 12-year-old son and Fairhurst. Many friends and even family members distanced themselves from her since she lost some of her eyesight.

Moumakwe realised that the quality of people she has in her life is the most important thing. Moumakwe has also been a Sunday school teacher for a few years. There were only five children in the Sunday school when she started and now there are nearly 80 children.

“Without God in my life, I would not have been able to stand up from my distraught state and be so confident today.”

Moumakwe said her quality of life improved over the last year and she believes everything is about your mindset.

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