​Last week Friday, 03 November 2023, more than a hundred people with disabilities attended the Eisteddfods hosted by the Gauteng Department of Social Development in partnership with local municipalities at Khutsong Multipurpose Centre in the West Rand, to showcase their talents in performing arts.
They participated in dance, music, poetry, and singing competitions. 51-year-old Lungile Mdingi from Randfontein was one of the judges and a coordinator for Persons with Disabilities in the West Rand.

Mdingi is blind and said despite the challenges faced by People with Disabilities, government continues to take care of them through disability grant.

“Most People with Disabilities are not working, but they are able to buy themselves food with their grant money, and others have been able to start small businesses. Today, I am happy to be part of the panel of judges. The criteria we are going to use to select is whether the participant can perform, and we will also check the neatness of the work,” explain Mdingi.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development, Program Coordinator, Mpho Mudzanani, said the participants came in numbers to partake in various performing art activities such as dance, music, poetry, modeling, and singing.

The winners of the dancing competition went to the Thusong Centre, and the West Rand Association for People with Disability won a singing competition, and Impumelelo were winners of poetry.

There was excitement in the hall as dancers and singers entertained the audience with the latest music.

Thabiso Mokoena who is blind said he was happy to be part of the event. He was making friends with people from various institutions.

“I heard about the competition from my friends, and I am here to support them.”