A single hand rose above a sea of sun-tired faces—firm, certain, unhesitating. Moments earlier, the golfers gathered in Kuils River had settled into their seats after a long day on the course at the UWC Cape Town golf day. But when Institutional Advancement Director, Prof Anesh Singh, appealed to the room for support for a young student, one man responded before the sentence had even landed.
Alumnus
Baldwin Kock, CEO of SA Quantum Accountants and Actuaries – and proudly, a University of the Western Cape (UWC) alumnus – raised his hand and pledged R8 000 to repair the mobility scooter that carried Qaqamba Cuba through her daily battles. This year, Singh requested that all funds raised on the day be allocated to the Office for Students with Disabilities in the Centre for Student Support Services (CSSS) at UWC.
The office provides disability-specific accommodations to students, including the conversion of academic material into various formats for blind, visually impaired, and learning-impaired students. Among those students is Cuba. She has a severe spine deformity known as congenital kyphoscoliosis, which led to respiratory failure. This has necessitated long-term ventilation and, as a result, limits her mobility.
Her mother lived long enough to ensure that her daughter received medical attention from the renowned Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. She died when Cuba was just eight-years-old.
Tube in throat
“After her death, I got sick. I had a tracheostomy, which is this tube in my throat. So at night, I sleep with a ventilator machine. During the day, I can do without it, but apparently, when I sleep, I forget to breathe. I get tired often, so I need a shop rider (mobility scooter) to get around on campus,” said Cuba, who struggled to breathe when Kock agreed to pay for the maintenance of the scooter.
And when he heard that she failed to secure funding for her post-graduate degree, he offered to wipe away her debt. She broke down in tears. It is not easy for the 26-year-old to speak about herself or ask for help. In fact, for most of her childhood, she would not go outside.
“Each time I used to go outside, kids used to laugh at me, and I used to cry, and it hurt. But things changed when I began to accept myself. I cannot change myself. This is how I am. I used to hide myself. I used to stay inside. I don’t anymore,” said a tearful Cuba, who recounted that most of her childhood was spent at a paediatric intermediate care facility and with an aunt in Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats.
She eventually enrolled at Jan Kriel School in Kuils River, where teachers became her family. She stayed at the school’s hostel and was gifted the scooter, which she still uses today. The teachers then looked to UWC to help her fulfil her dreams of advocating for disabled people, who, she said, often fall victim to severe abuse. After obtaining her LLB, she was unable to secure articles at a law firm. Instead, she enrolled for her LLM and her research focuses on police corruption in the South African criminal justice system.
“When I was in matric, I told myself I had to pass because my mother died, and I had no one. The University had to be my friend. I can’t sit in Khayelitsha and do nothing, being a laughing stock. Next year, I will be completing my research. After that, I don’t know, but I want to start working.
”Kock explained that Cuba’s story resonates deeply with him. As a student, his greatest fear was the mounting student debt. He said that too many students come from families who struggle financially, and therefore, he considers it his duty to help.
“I like to see her prosper in her life, and so it should be for every other student – black students in particular and people who come from disadvantaged positions, which I know because I’ve been disadvantaged myself, ” said Kock.
Singh said the golf day was a “resounding success”. It yielded a profit of R 405 000, which included Kock’s donation of R81 000.
“We were honoured to host two remarkable student ambassadors, Richie Malonga and Qaqamba (Angel) Cuba, who attended the prize-giving dinner alongside Dr Laetitia Permall, Director of the Centre for Student Support Services. Their presence brought heart and purpose to the evening.”
For more information about the Office for Students with Disabilities, visit: campus-life/sds-departments/centre-for-student-support-services.
