Mvuseni was a boy from a rural area with little education, but lots of experience which were passed onto him through a sacred family tradition of inheriting a gift of a special kind.

This was no ordinary gift, title or responsibility to inherit. One could not deny nor avoid it when the time came to manage the responsibilities it came with. You were called to heal and healing you did!

Mvuseni, like his father and his ancestors, was called into the practice of traditional healing. The responsibility was great and needed the strictest levels of sobriety, discipline, and self-awareness in order to observe the sacred requirements it brought with it.

He neither anticipated his good fortune nor contained his excitement when he met with Nongcebo at a traditional wedding in the township of Mamelodi from the city of Tshwane (Pretoria). To attend this wedding, Nongcebo had to be extra persuasive to her mother, who had started showing fear for her well-being following what could be regarded as an incredible incident of prejudice—or at least according to her mother.

Nongcebo neither perceived nor classified herself according to prescriptions assigned to people living with albinism. Nothing was a disability in her; she functioned perfectly well and was well on her way to fulfilling her dream of being a chef.

She was doing her final year of Hospitality Management at Elangeni, a private TVET (Technical and Vocational Education Training) College, closer to her home, at the township of Kwa-Mashu, North of Durban (Kwa-Zulu Natal).

Her impressive record at her training institution qualified her to work at any prestigious establishment. Alas, she was denied an opportunity. Her potential employers assumed she was disabled. Why? Because, like many, they assumed that all people with albinism have a visual impairment that can‘t fully be treated or managed.

With no “establishment” doors opening for Nongcebo, she eventually opted to volunteer whenever opportunities were made available to her.

When she heard that the catering company for the wedding which she later met Mvuseni could no longer make it, she jumped at the opportunity to help out.

All that had been planned for that wedding didn’t happen as the bride and groom wished, but the significance of the ceremony was carried out with precision, thanks to all those who volunteered to help in their hour of need.

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