From losing leg in bus crash to cum laude

UJ student Ndou speaks on overcoming odds after amputation

Nandi Ntini Social Justice News Reporter
Unarine Ndou
Unarine Ndou
Image: SUPPLIED

A University of Johannesburg student who had his leg amputated five months before sitting for his exams has now graduated cum laude in education.

Unarine Ndou, 22, was on his way to the Kingsway campus in Auckland Park in July last year when the bus he was travelling in collided with a Metrobus at about 7am in the morning. The bus was carrying 19 students and he was one of three who had to be taken to hospital after the crash. About 77 other passengers on the second bus were also injured. 

So severe were his injuries that one of his legs had to be amputated, while he spent 29 days recovering in hospital. During that time, he was advised not to study and rather focus on his healing process. 

Last month, he graduated while wearing a prosthetic leg. 

Reflecting on the crash, Ndou said though he thought of himself as an overachiever, he was doubtful about his future as he laid on the cold sidewalk while paramedics were attending to his injuries.

“As I was lying down, nothing came into my mind except thinking that my future was over. I asked myself if I could still move my body and whether I could still reason the way I used to before the accident. I wondered if I would I'd have to depend on other people for my mobility,” Ndou told Sowetan on Wednesday. 

As I was lying down, nothing came into my mind except thinking that my future was over. I asked myself if I could still move my body and whether I could still reason the way I used to before the accident.
Unarine Ndou

He said it was initially difficult for him to accept his physical disability but he soon snapped out of it because he did not want his new challenges to define his future. 

While in hospital, he'd get visits from his friends, family and lecturers and they would be sympathetic and feel pity for him. Some of them were even telling him to focus on healing and only return to campus the following year. He said this was his turning point. 

“When I realised that I can still move my body and think the way I used to think, I knew I had to continue and finish this qualification in the required time,” he said. 

Ndou attributes much of his success to his lecturer, Prof Lydia Mavuru, for believing in his potential despite the circumstances. 

“Despite a life-threatening accident, Unarine [Ndou] remained resolute in his pursuit of excellence. He never allowed this setback to derail his focus or diminish his drive. Instead, he embraced a positive mindset, believing his survival meant he had a second chance to follow his dreams.

"Through sheer determination, Ndou has not only achieved his own goals but also inspired others to pursue their dreams with the same tenacity,” said Mavuru. 

Before Ndou was put on prosthetic leg in December, he used crutches to go to campus to write his exams and had to deal with inner negative thoughts of how his peers would view him. 


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