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02 November 2020 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Sports
Lefébre Rademan, the country’s top student netball player in 2019, has been snatched up by English netball club London Pulse to play in England in 2021.

 

Attempting to become an even better netballer, former Kovsies netball captain Lefébre Rademan decided to jet off to England to play in their league.

Rademan was contracted by London Pulse to compete in the European Superleague in 2021. She will be the fourth Kovsie after Maryka Holtzhausen (2015 and 2018-2019), Karla Pretorius (2016), and Khanyisa Chawane (2020) to play in the league.

Rademan said it was an easy decision, even though it will be far and a long time away from home. The league runs from February to July, with a pre-season in December. She will continue with her master’s degree at the University of the Free State next year.

“I am not going to play netball forever and such an opportunity doesn’t come often. Having competed against England, New Zealand, and Jamaica earlier in the year, I realised they play at a much higher level and if I want to improve and become the best, I would also need to move to a next level.”

“As a goal attack, having Protea teammate Sigi Burger (goal shooter) at the same club, will be an advantage for both of us and for the Proteas as a combination.”

Rademan has had a great past two years, making her Protea debut (12 tests in total) and receiving a number of accolades, such as the Varsity Netball Player of the Tournament in 2019.

In the Telkom Netball League in October, captaining the Free State Crinums, she was named Shooter of the Tournament. She was Player of the Match twice. Her goal average of 88,1% was the highest in the competition.

“Last year was such a good year for me personally, but that remains in the past. You can’t become complacent. I want to keep working hard and become a much better player,” Rademan said.

 

News Archive

The silent struggles of those with invisible disabilities
2016-12-13

Description: Dr Magteld Smith, invisible disabilities Tags: Dr Magteld Smith, invisible disabilities 

Dr Magteld Smith, researcher and deaf awareness
activist, from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology
at the UFS.

December is International Disability Awareness Month. Despite equality before the law and some improvements in societal attitudes, people with disabilities are still disadvantaged in many aspects of their lives. They are more likely to be the victims of crime, sexual abuse, are more likely to earn a low income or be unemployed, and less likely to gain qualifications than people without disabilities.

Demystifying disabilities is crucial

Dr Magteld Smith, a researcher at the University of the Free State (UFS) School of Medicine’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology, says that often people think the term “disability” only refers to people using a wheelchair, etc. However, this is a misperception because some individuals have visible disabilities, which can be seen, and some have invisible disabilities, which can’t be seen. Others have both visible and invisible disabilities. There is an ongoing debate as to which group has the greatest life struggles. Those with visible disabilities frequently have to explain what they can do, while individuals with invisible disabilities have to make clear what they cannot do.

Invisible disability is an umbrella term that captures a whole spectrum of invisible disabilities and the focus is not to maintain a list of specific conditions and diagnoses that are considered invisible disabilities. Invisible disabilities include debilitating fatigue, pain, cognitive dysfunctions, mental disorders, hearing and eyesight disabilities and conditions that are primarily neurological in nature.

Judging books by their covers
According to Dr Smith, research indicates that people living with invisible disabilities often suffer more strained relationships than those with visible disabilities due to a serious lack of knowledge, doubts and suspicion around their disability status.

Society might also make serious allegations that people with invisible disabilities are “faking it” or believe they are “lazy”, and sometimes think they are using their invisible disability as an “excuse” to receive “special treatment”, while the person has special needs to function.

Giving recognition and praise
“One of the most heartbreaking attitudes towards persons with invisible disabilities is that they very seldom enjoy acknowledgement for their efforts and accomplishments. The media also seldom report on the achievements of persons with invisible disabilities,” says Dr Smith.

Society has to understand that a person with a disability or disabilities is diagnosed by a medical professional involving various medical procedures and tests. It is not for a society to make any diagnosis of another person.

Dr Smith says the best place to start addressing misperceptions is for society to broaden its understanding of the vast, varying world of disabilities and be more sensitive about people with invisible disabilities. They should be acknowledged and given the same recognition as people with visible disabilities.

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