Cikizwa Makiva is a 41 years old woman who was born and raised in Ndisane Location, Mthatha, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. That is where she went to both junior and high school. After high school, she worked as a cashier in the retail industry.
"In 2017, I met a man and started dating. We moved to Gauteng Province together from uMthatha and got married in 2018. I was only happy for a year in that marriage then it became a place of pain. My husband abused me and tried to kill me. By the grace of God, I survived, but the abuse left me in a wheelchair", said Cikizwa
Today, she lives with a disability caused by gender-based violence. The challenges are real, and some days are heavy for her, she refuse to let this wheelchair define her or be the end of her story.
"Now, I am rebuilding my life and giving back to my community, I am a netball coach for under-12, under-15, and under-17 teams. I am also a GBV awareness speaker, sharing my story to encourage and strengthen other women who have walked the same painful road as me", she said. "On top of that, I am an activist for people with disabilities and serve as a committee member for disability in my community", she added.
"My mission is to motivate others like me not to give up, and I want them to know that life does not end because of disability, and that you can still rise and have purpose even when you feel like you have no one to support you, she concluded. Cikizwa kindly request a sponsorship transport to take her team to games and to reach communities for awareness talks. She also beg for sports kits, training shoes, and netballs for her team so the girls can train with dignity and confidence.
She can be found at: Phone: 073 9657 265 / 071 444 77 35 Email: makivacikizwa38@gmail.com