More than just words

Lethabo Ndebele spent most of his life around the deaf. For some it’s a choice, for him it has been his life.

Lethabo, 27, is a sign language interpreter for Tshwane Deaf Association (TDA). Both his parents are deaf, “My mom is a darling. She is a loving and caring person. A typical mom. Unlike my dad, she can speak a little,” Lethabo says.

Lethabo recalls the day he got a beating of his life from his mother, “I was about eight years old,” he says. “Straight from school, my friends and I went fishing of which we were lucky to catch fish. Excited, we flocked to my house to go show my mom who congratulated us. As soon as my friends disappeared, an umbrella was on my bum for having gone fishing in my school uniform,” he adds with laughter.

His father was a carpenter at a furniture store for 30years. “I grew up being terrified of my father. I would ask him for things through my mother,” he says.

His childhood wasn’t easy for him as he grew up different from his peers who were not deaf. Often Lethabo was teased, “I remember being told that I would also become deaf and that my kids will be deaf,” he shares.

Inspired mainly by his sister Mpho, Lethabo says that even though she has been through a lot with him, she is his pillar of strength. “She is always there to pick me up,” he adds. Lethabo got his big break through his sister who was one of the first sign language interpreters in South Africa. Mpho recommended Lethabo, who was then 18years old, to a friend who was looking for interpreters for the Deaf Federation of South Africa (DeafSA). That was when his career took off. Although he already knew basic signs from communicating with his parents, when he started working for DeafSA, he did the in-house training there.

A typical day at work for Lethabo entails interpreting at government workshops as well as community based functions amongst others. “I get to the venue, wait to meet my client and wait for the client to choose a spot for me to stand. From there on I interpret,” he says. “My greatest challenge has been voicing-over when the client wants to speak. But I have slowly overcome that with experience,” Lethabo adds.

To his parents, Lethabo is a gem. His parents describe him as a “clever but shy” child who, like other, was naughty when growing up. His friends though, know him as a “Crazy and outgoing” somebody.

Off the clock, Lethabo reigns as the champion of his X-box console. He has managed to scoop cash prizes as well as more games to add to his collection through his hobby. Lethabo takes part in MainGaiming competitions which are annually held throughout the country.

So how does the future look like for Lethabo? “ I would like to work in a lab,” he says. This sparked by his profound love for chemistry. Lethabo would also like to have two or three kids, “That would be awesome!” he concludes.