Losing her sight at the age of 21 did not change Babalwa Mahlangu’s perspective on life and marriage. Last weekend, now 27, she married Johannesburg-born Nqobile Mahlangu, who is partially blind.
The couple tied the knot at the Love of God Christ Ministry in Leaches Bay. Babalwa lost her sight after getting meningitis.
“When I woke up that day I noticed that everything was dark. I didn’t cry but called my mom and told her I couldn’t see. Then we went to see a doctor.”
It was only after she had seen the doctor that she cried for her lost sight.
“They said they could not do anything,” she said.
The loss of her sight compelled Babalwa to prove she was still the same person.
“I overdid everything in life because I wanted people to see that I was still normal.
“I was even in a relationship with a guy my family had warned me against.
“They said he was using me but I could not see that. I just wanted a normal life,” she said.
But when she met Nqobile, she experienced unconditional love for the first time.
The two met in 2010 at the National Council for Blind’s Optima College. After a few months together they fell in love and were inseparable.
“My roommate used to visit her room because they had a heater and I remember telling him that Babalwa was my woman even though we had not spoken yet,” Nqobile said. “Then one day I got to walk her to classes because she was not familiar with the route yet. I thought to myself ‘this is my chance’.”
They started spending more time together.
“We felt so comfortable around one another. We opened our hearts to each other. I liked what he said to me when we were still getting to know each other,” said Babalwa.
“He said he did not see me as a girlfriend but as a woman who would build him and help him become the man he needed to be.”
After college, Babalwa moved back to East London to work for the department of health’s call centre and Nqobile remained in Johannesburg. She was expecting their first child.
A couple of months later, Nqobile also got a job at the call centre. Their son Mvelo is now three and they also have Babalwa’s first child, Qhamani, at home. The pair still work for the call centre.
“We are always together. If we are not at work we are at home or doing shopping. He is my friend and I am his,” Babalwa said.
“At our wedding last week, one of my colleagues said I was an inspiration.”
She said she did not see herself as disabled. — poliswap@dispatch.co.za
Seeing with the heart’s eye
The couple tied the knot at the Love of God Christ Ministry in Leaches Bay. Babalwa lost her sight after getting meningitis.
“When I woke up that day I noticed that everything was dark. I didn’t cry but called my mom and told her I couldn’t see. Then we went to see a doctor.”
It was only after she had seen the doctor that she cried for her lost sight.
“They said they could not do anything,” she said.
The loss of her sight compelled Babalwa to prove she was still the same person.
“I overdid everything in life because I wanted people to see that I was still normal.
“I was even in a relationship with a guy my family had warned me against.
“They said he was using me but I could not see that. I just wanted a normal life,” she said.
But when she met Nqobile, she experienced unconditional love for the first time.
The two met in 2010 at the National Council for Blind’s Optima College. After a few months together they fell in love and were inseparable.
“My roommate used to visit her room because they had a heater and I remember telling him that Babalwa was my woman even though we had not spoken yet,” Nqobile said. “Then one day I got to walk her to classes because she was not familiar with the route yet. I thought to myself ‘this is my chance’.”
They started spending more time together.
“We felt so comfortable around one another. We opened our hearts to each other. I liked what he said to me when we were still getting to know each other,” said Babalwa.
“He said he did not see me as a girlfriend but as a woman who would build him and help him become the man he needed to be.”
After college, Babalwa moved back to East London to work for the department of health’s call centre and Nqobile remained in Johannesburg. She was expecting their first child.
A couple of months later, Nqobile also got a job at the call centre. Their son Mvelo is now three and they also have Babalwa’s first child, Qhamani, at home. The pair still work for the call centre.
“We are always together. If we are not at work we are at home or doing shopping. He is my friend and I am his,” Babalwa said.
“At our wedding last week, one of my colleagues said I was an inspiration.”
She said she did not see herself as disabled. — poliswap@dispatch.co.za
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