Lebohang Monyatsi is the first woman in AfricaBe a runway model in a wheelchair. Like Jillian Mercado, another model who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as a child and ended up in a wheelchair by the age of 12, Monyatsi challenges the view of the obstacles of disability.
Even for people without disabilities, it can be very difficult to break into the fashion world, but Lebohang Monyatsi doesn’t let anything stop him. Organizations like The Only One Foundation help make it easier for people with disabilities to find work in the industry. The foundation supports projects such as Miss Wheelchair World, where Lebohang Montyatsi was chosen to represent South Africa in 2017.
According to her, the main goal is to “break the stereotypes of people with disabilities in the fashion/entertainment industry and pave the way for those who follow and follow me”.
She said She Leads Africa that she wants people to know that people have different skills than sports and office work. She also revealed that she wanted to venture into travel from a young age, but was unable to do so due to a lack of opportunities for people with disabilities in the entertainment industry.
Here are 5 things you should know about Lebohang Monyatsi
Her life’s journey was not a smooth one
She represented her country in wheelchair basketball
Aside from being a model/beauty pageant, Lebohang is also a basketball player. As a student at North-West University, Mafikeng, her strong basketball skills earned her a spot on the South African wheelchair basketball team. Together they went to Mexico, where the South Africans took part in a qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, but did not qualify for the 2012 Paralympics in London. Despite this, Lebohang was voted her team’s best shooter. Because of her talent in the sport, she now plays for both provincial and national wheelchair basketball teams. As a result, the young lady had the opportunity to travel around South Africa and also outside the country. “I don’t see myself playing basketball,
Always wanted to be a model
According to Miss Lebohang Monyatsi, known on social media platforms as The Rolling Goddess, she liked modeling since she was a child but could not pursue it because there were no opportunities in the industry for people with disabilities. She also lamented that South Africa was ignoring diversity and inclusion. Lebohang finally decided to chase her dream of being a model to open doors for others and for all people who found it impossible to be a role model. She also aspires to move beyond the local modeling arena and onto the international stage. However, the single-minded woman doesn’t think wheelchair modeling will catch on in Africa anytime soon.
Your Big Breaks
Lebohang was a finalist for Face Of The Globe in 2016 and was a model of Soweto Fashion Week, appearing on Selimathunzi. She was also a model at Maboneng Fashion Week and GeeJunction Fashion Show.
Face of the Globe is a global trust building program and competition for young women of all ages with a focus on volunteering and raising money for charities. Lebohang was the only finalist in the competition with a disability. Not only was she Africa’s first wheelchair track model, but she also represented her country in Miss Wheelchair World 2017. In the first competition of this kind, held on October 07, 2017 in Warsaw, Poland, Lebohang took second place ahead of Adrianna of Poland Zawadzinska and was crowned “First Princess”. This was a great success for the South African record holder as 24 young women from 19 countries took part in the competition.
training
Despite her apparent physical limitations, Lebohang holds a degree in Social Psychology from North-West University in Mafikeng and is currently pursuing a second degree in Communication Studies.
According to the model, their daily motivation comes from the quote “Be the change you want to see”. This spurs them on again and again to set a good example.