Eastern Cape Business Leaders Help Deliver 200 Life-Changing Wheelchairs

Photo Credit: Full Stop Communications - Supplied

A little empathy goes a long way. Eastern Cape leaders recently stepped into the world of those living with disabilities for a day and helped give 200 deserving people the gift of mobility and independence.

Eastern Cape, South Africa (12 October 2026) – You never truly understand another person’s lived experience, their daily struggles and personal triumphs, until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Or, in this case, spent a day in their wheelchair.

Taking that lesson to heart, corporate leaders across the Eastern Cape recently traded their everyday routines to spend a day navigating life in a wheelchair as a person living with disability would. Partnering up for the annual SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday campaign, participants took on everyday tasks like drawing money at an ATM or navigating store aisles – with one sitting and another pushing.

For many, participating in the exercise was an immediate eye-opener. Ordinary moments most people take for granted quickly revealed themselves as major daily hurdles.

But this experience went far beyond gaining a new perspective. By stepping into someone else’s world, these business leaders helped raise funds to deliver 200 brand-new wheelchairs to deserving individuals across Nelson Mandela Bay! This brought the total to 2,600 life-changing assistive devices donated since the initiative began.

For the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD) and SPAR Eastern Cape, creating that firsthand understanding is where true change begins.

“You can only do that when you start experiencing it yourself. We’re hoping to send out a message to people who don’t know anything about wheelchairs to be made aware of these challenges,” said APD representative Brian Bezuidenhout.

“We always want them to understand that things can actually be done in a wheelchair as long as the environment is tailored accordingly.”

Bezuidenhout was clear that Wheelchair Wednesday would not be a success without the support of SPAR EC and the private sector.

Corporates “came to the party every year”, he said.

Photo Credit: Full Stop Communications – Supplied

Alan Stapleton, involved with Wheelchair Wednesday through SPAR EC’s 14-year support of the campaign, said tasks that took an able-bodied person a few seconds could take someone with a disability considerably longer.

“Your day becomes squashed into a lot less time. Your little challenges can become big challenges,” he said.

Stapleton thanked APD and corporates for giving beneficiaries hope. Gifting them wheelchairs enabled them to move around freely and help out more at home. Some could hopefully also make their way back into the workplace, he said.

Attending the recent activation at KWIKSPAR on First in Walmer were corporate teams from Edge Finance, PKF, Multifleet Solutions, Gentech, Indlela Mental Health, Adient, Macsteel, Forvia and Woodlands Dairy.

Adient’s Chivage Bester, who teamed up with colleague Desigan Veerapathran, said it was special to be involved in the initiative.

“You get to experience a moment in the life of a person who actually has a disability,” he said.

“It shows you how they struggle from day to day. People don’t realise the amount of effort it takes to go shopping or to the ATM.”

Indlela’s Zoleka Manga said awareness campaigns such as this one were important because people living with disabilities were sometimes discriminated against and lived in isolation.

“By involving them it makes them feel valued in our society,” she said.

In her work, she encounters many clients with disabilities and their mental struggles are sometimes plain to see. She pointed out that someone left without the use of their limbs after being involved in a car accident, for instance, often found it difficult to adjust to their new reality.

“But we remind them that as much as life has changed for them, they can do something for themselves.”

As has been the case for the past few years, Wheelchair Wednesday has also included the Nkosinathi Foundation for Blind and Partially Sighted People.

Wheelchair pushers are either blindfolded or made to wear special glasses that deliberately impair their vision so they can also get an idea of what people who have problems with their sight experience.

Nkosinathi reputation consultant Loyiso Seyise said this exercise was not only aimed at creating awareness but also helped people understand that tasks could be completed when equipped with a cane, for example.

“They (participants) feel so scared when they are blindfolded, but they quickly learn to overcome that fear by using assistive devices,” he said.

KWIKSPAR on-site manager Justin Hackart said it was beneficial for retailers to see where wheelchair users struggled, as they could then make the necessary adjustments in-store and on the premises.

SPAR EC sponsorship controller Honey Koba said Wheelchair Wednesday was about more than experiencing the challenges of navigating the world in a wheelchair.

“It is about building understanding, challenging perceptions and creating a more inclusive society where accessibility, dignity and opportunity are available to everyone.”

Thanks to the heartfelt commitment of local businesses, 200 individuals have not just received new mobility, but a renewed sense of independence and dignity.