/ 31 January 2025

Lebelelang Centre for the disabled

Current Lebelelang Centre For The Disabled
Current Lebelelang Centre For The Disabled

A mother’s 20-year plight for son’s education births Postmansburg’s first disability centre

Lebelelang Centre for the Disabled, operating from the Newtown township of Postmansburg, will soon open the doors of its newly built centre to current and new learners with disabilities who previously were unable to access schooling facilities.

The centre boasts amenities including four classrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, an administration block, ablution facilities, sporting grounds, a vegetable garden and will accommodate 120 learners. The centre includes a multi-purpose hall that can be repurposed for conferencing facilities to generate income for the centre.

Lebelelang was established in 2005 with the aim of providing a secure and conducive environment for persons with disabilities to receive physical, emotional, psychological and social development services. Until recently, the centre operated without any funding and relied on donations in kind from local supermarkets, churches and scanty parent contributions as it was not formalised nor registered. Without these requirements, an organisation cannot register as a Partial Care Facility with the Department of Social Development (DSD) nor apply for funding from donors.

Mme Precious Seleka With Her Son, Kagiso

Back in 1997, Mrs Precious Seleka, a resident and volunteer of Newtown, initiated a makeshift care facility in her home, in Marantheng Section, to care for elderly persons, children without care during the day, street kids and those with disabilities. Through word of mouth, the demand grew and upon realising the magnitude of the problem, she introduced night classes as well for adults who made the request for further development.

Unformalised, she solicited donations for basic educational materials. The municipality cleared a patch of land, previously a dump, to expand her space. This was halted and the space was closed amid health concerns.

Her application attempts were unsuccessful over the period of 1999 to 2003, when subsequently another care facility, Management Centre for the Disabled (MCD), was opened in a church building in the community.

In 2003, she gave birth to a son with Down Syndrome which fuelled the fire within her to seek a permanent solution. Accepting her defeat, she was still happy that there was a place of care for children living with disabilities. As a new parent, together with other unemployed women, she volunteered and undertook to cook, clean and develop a routine that provided basic learning (using elementary tools to assess the children’s capabilities) and social skills – due to the lack of capacity at the time.

In 2012, she attended an 18-month Early Childhood Development (ECD) training course at Custoda Trust and received a level four certificate. She graduated in August 2013 with 16 other practitioners. During training, they would arrange for other volunteer caregivers to assist in their absence.

In 2016, the volunteers again called on the community to formulate a Board of Directors that will assist in the formalisation and registration of the centre. At that time, the centre gave care to 27 children with disabilities and they were seeing significant progress with behaviour, social skills, mannerisms and listening skills from the children. In-kind donations from the church and local businesses assisted with daily provision for the children who could not bring their own lunch.

In the same year, MCD was dissolved. However, due to the need for continuation for the services, Lebelelang Centre for the Disabled was officially formed and the volunteers collected R1 140 from savings and parent fees to open a bank account. The centre moved to the Newtown Community Hall, amidst much resistance and vandalism but began operating in January 2017.

In May 2017, a community mobilisation process, informed by the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) development framework of the National Development Agency (NDA), led to Lebelelang where they were assisted with the formalisation and registration into a non-profit organisation. Further needs assessment revealed that the centre had been offered land in nearby Phuthaditjhaba location by the Tsantsabane Local Municipality which lay vacant and unoccupied due to lack of funds to establish the centre.

This land now occupies Lebelelang Centre for the Disabled that will continue catering for an ECD programme for children aged 0-6, learners with severe to profound intellectual disabilities, children aged 7-18 years and a skills development programme for youth and adults with disabilities aged 19-59.

Mme Precious Seleka With Board Chairperson (seated) Mrs Ellen Seboko And Board Members (l R) Ms Sebonile Toli And Ms Ursela Snyman

We wish to leave a legacy for Postmansburg, being the first and only centre to cater for persons with disabilities. Our Board structure has allowed us to attract the versatile and competent Board who contribute immensely to the centre.”


Mme Precious Seleka with Board Chairperson (seated) Mrs Ellen Seboko and Board Members (l-r) Ms Sebonile Toli and Ms Ursela Snyman

Having capacitated Lebelelang, NDA granted funds to erect a fence at the allocated site and secure the modular structures donated by Lesedi Power Project. It was through consultation with the municipality that it became apparent that disability was everyone’s business and it was in the Social Labour Plans of the mines in Postmasburg within the Tsantsabane Local Municipality. Through a resource mobilisation process, the NDA facilitated and coordinated a public- private partnership towards the construction of a state-of-the-art facility to the value of R17 461 534,33. The figure is composed of contributions from Independent Power Producer, Lesedi Power Project, Assmang (Beeshoek) Mine and Anglo American (Kolomela Mine).

“We have never lost sight of the goal to establish a centre for the children to learn and grow. There are six practitioners with qualifications up to level four from Custoda Trust that care for the 42 children using the sponsored educational materials. We also receive support and regular training from The Department of Basic Education.”

The Dedicated Teachers At Lebelelang Centre For Disabilities

The dedicated teachers at Lebelelang Centre for Disabilities

The children’s ages range from three to 25 years old. The older children are also taught soft social skills including societal behaviours and assertion skills to protect themselves. We also hold awareness campaigns to sensitise the community on care and needs of the children. This centre is crucial for this community, the nearest centre for services of this nature is found in Upington that is 220 kilometres away from Postmansburg. We are really looking forward to the move into the new centre” said Seleka.

“The NDA’s mandate speaks to facilitating community development. We go into communities to find organisations that are already fully engaged in community development programmes. Ours is to ensure that we build more cohesive communities that can tackle their own developmental challenges. Persons with disabilities are vulnerable in communities. Enabling Lebelelang to register people opened doors for them to receive funding and use it effectively to respond to the needs of those with disabilities,” Seleka continues.

“I am pleased with the outcome and the plethora of partners that have come on board when we made the call to them to assist. We will continue to facilitate the registration of a Partial Care Facility, so that they can access the necessary subsidies from DSD and other donors for sustainability” says Mr Thabani Buthelezi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the NDA.

Seleka’s greatest lesson throughout this journey is that patience pays off. She says that the realisation of the centre is a dream come true, a dream she is happy to have assisted to realise by just volunteering her time and love to the children. “My hope is to, one day, take the children to Robben Island to see for themselves what it means to fight for their own freedom. Over and above the crafts created under the skills development programme, we also have plans of creating an arts programme where people with disabilities will showcase their talent at events that will be cost effective as a means of generating income for the centre,” concludes Seleka.