Growing up, Bulelwa Madikane (32) had to endure the pain of hearing bullies call her parents, “dumb” because they were both deaf. That never changed her love and respect for them, though. She survived the ridicule and honours her parents for how they raised her, and for their love and guidance.
As a firstborn, things were more challenging for her because she would have to be a bridge whenever her parents needed to communicate. From as early as primary school, she recalls,
“When there was a parent meeting at school, I had to be part of the meeting to make sure there's no communication barrier between my dad and the teachers or principal,” Bulelwa tells Move!.