FOR Pabalelo Maphutha, living with a disability is just a fact, not a problem.
The wheelchair-bound 32-year-old actor and poet wants to be seen not as someone handicapped, but as a talented human being.
Pabalelo was born and raised in a small village called Ga-Mphahlele in Limpopo.
He now lives in Rockville, Soweto.
He recently released two poems, Suicide Letter and Poetic Expressions, based on experience and his life in a wheelchair.
“When you’re an adult in a wheelchair, you miss out on many opportunities.
“When you go for auditions, you are told there is no role for someone like you.”
Pabalelo told SunBuzz: “Before I was in a wheelchair, I used to walk, play and run like any other child.
“I even took part in running events at primary school.”
He said he was diagnosed with polio at the age of 10.
“I believe it’s genetic because my late father also had to use a wheelchair.”
After many failed auditions, producer Ethan Kafwani gave him a chance.
He recently landed a role in a short crime film called Vuyani: The Adopted Son.
Speaking about the film, he said: “After a botched bank robbery that left a single mother dead, I adopt her child.
“It’s indeed a moving movie.”
Pabalelo said he is also a keen singer, but his first love is acting.
