THEIR love story lives up to the saying that love knows no bounds.
And their affection for each other is still strong seven years later, despite them living with disabilities.
Sam Mpofu (35) and Sinikiwe Maombedze (27) are both deaf and mute.
When the couple from Lusaka in Mamelodi, Tshwane, met in 2014, it was love at first sight.
Sam said they met through his sister Enifer (40), who thought they’d make a perfect couple.
He was sceptical at first.
“I had just been through a painful breakup when I met Sinikiwe, so I didn’t think I was going to fall in love with her,” said Sam.
He said the moment he greeted her, he knew he had to make her his wife and asked for her hand five years later.
Sinikiwe feared dating as her mum had told her men would lie to her, but she was ready to risk it all when she saw Sam.
“Our deafness brought us together and we had an empathetic understanding of each other. It was easy for us to communicate and we understood each other,” she said.
But things have not always been rosy for the couple, who are expecting their first child. They said the most challenging thing about their relationship was putting food on the table.
Sam, a professional carpenter and baker, said it was difficult to provide for his family as people hardly hired deaf and mute people.
“I’m able to put bread on the table with my baking as it doesn’t require a lot of talking. My wife is sometimes able to get some part time work as a helper.”
The couple said they were planning their white wedding.
Their aunt Gladys Sibanda, who’s also their interpreter, said the couple was an example of true love. She said since living with them, she had seen how much they loved each other, even though they sometimes struggled financially. Enifer was happy her instinct about them was right. She knew Sinikiwe from the shelter she used to work at and saw how she carried herself.
“She was respectful and kind - the kind of woman I wanted my brother to marry.”
