Karabo Morapedi rises above the odds

Loving and supporting children who live with disabilities is key to enabling them to reach their full potential. 

Karabo Morapedi (22) of Welkom in the Free State is a perfect example of what children with special needs can achieve if they are supported by their families. 

He is among South African athletes who will be flying the country’s flag high at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in France. 

The Paralympic Games are the largest global sporting event for athletes with disabilities. This year, they will open on 28 August and close on 8 September. 

Despite being born with cerebral palsy quadriplegia, which affects all four limbs and causes various physical and intellectual challenges, Karabo does not allow the disability to stand between him and his dreams. 

At the time of the interview, Karabo was at the World Boccia African Regional Championships in Cairo in Egypt. 

Boccia is a Paralympic sport, it is a target ball sport which tests both muscle control and accuracy.

Vuk’uzenzele spoke briefly to his mother and aunt about his life story, academic performance and sport. 

His mother, Sebolelo Morapedi, raised Karabo with the help of her sister Selloane Bochedi. 

“Karabo’s father passed away when he was just an infant, I raised him together with his aunt,” she explained. 

She said Karabo started playing Boccia back in Tswellang Special School in Bloemfontein, which provides Grade R to Grade 9 mainstream education and learners support services to learners who are physically challenged.

He continued with the sport when he joined Martie du Plessis School in Bloemfontein, which is a school for cerebral palsied, physically disabled and learning-disabled learners, where he completed his matric. 

Karabo continued to play Boccia at the Central University of Technology (CUT) Welkom Campus, where he graduated with a National Diploma in Public Management this year. He is currently studying towards a qualification in Advanced Diploma in Applied Public Management at the university. 

Bochedi said they had to accept his condition, but both committed to giving him love and support that he needed as a child. 

“Like any other child, we invested in enrolling him in schools that catered for his special needs, and we have always been actively involved in his educational journey. He has always performed well in school and he excelled in his tertiary education studies,” explained Bochedi. 

She believes that Karabo’s journey has so far shown everyone that living with a disability does not mean you have to be locked-up in the house. 

She added that Karabo is extremely proud of his achievements so far and he has made his family proud. The support that he gets from CUT and his coach also encourages him to work harder. ¥