Ms Nthabiseng Molongwana

Nthabiseng Molongwana, 34, from Langenhoven Park in Bloemfontein was left a quadriplegic after a horrific car accident in 1994. As if that was not enough, her parents got divorced after she was discharged from hospital and she had to live with her mother in a two bed-roomed house in Phelindaba. The house had no ceiling, was freezing cold at night and very warm during the day. Needless to say, the fluctuating temperatures worsened her condition.
 
The house had no wheelchair ramp, and she had to be carried into the house. Having lost control of her bodily functions, she was often left destitute when her mother went looking for transport to take her to hospital on occasions when the catheter slipped out. She depended on the state hospital for medication and incontinence supplies and this meant waking up early in the morning and spending hours in long queues.

Her daily struggles came to end when the RAF paid her over R2 million as compensation. She used the money to buy a house in an upmarket suburb in Bloemfontein, and a special kombi which could accommodate her wheelchair.

“For the past eight years, the RAF has assisted with medication, wheelchairs and other items that I needed. The sense of security and comfort knowing that everything will be taken care of has been unbelievable. For instance, I used to have problems with pressure sores, but this problem is something of the past thanks to the RAF”, she says. 

Molongwana is now Deputy Director: Public Relations at the Association of People with Disabilities, where she once stayed. In an effort to make her life as normal as possible, the RAF is paying the salaries of her two helpers.

“The RAF has made my life easier. I have people who look after me and the RAF pays them, which makes a huge difference to my budget. I really don’t know how I would have managed without the extra assistance”, Molongwana says.

Molongwane , a BSc graduate from the University of the Free State, is grateful that the RAF helped restore her dignity. Following the death of her mother five years ago, she would not have had any assistance were it not for the RAF.