Miss Wheelchair South Africa – Tamelyn Block

To mark their partnership with Universal Accessibility Hub, Tourvest is sponsoring Tamelyn Bock from Northern Cape who is the current Miss Wheelchair South Africa an opportunity for a first travel abroad to represent South Africa at Miss Wheelchair World in Mexico. Miss Bock departs today (Thursday) at 23h55 from Cape Town International Airport.

Shama Nathoo, Managing Director and Founder of UAHub attests to the significance of this landmark event: ‘This is a momentous occasion to ensure the chant of “leaving no one behind” stays alive for years leading to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) commitment and ensure that people with disabilities are integrated in all life experiences’.

Bock, who was born with spinal atrophy, a genetic condition that affects the nerves and weakens the muscles, has been wheelchair-bound sine age eight. For her, the opportunity to compete in the Miss Wheelchair World 2022 competition is a dream come true. She further added that this gives her a chance to showcase that beauty has no barriers, and change the perceptions and narrative for disabled women in Southern Africa and globally.

Judi Nwokedi, COO of Tourvest Group added that Tourvest’s steady growth as a leading integrated tourism group has been driven by a commitment to exceptional quality, service and value; its people-centred business philosophy; the development of mutually rewarding partnerships that seeks to build a more sustainable process of implementation for an integrated society, accelerating the needs and services required for people with disability is an urgent priority for the tourism industry.

Miss Wheelchair SA’s representation at Miss Wheelchair World on 29 October 2022 provides South Africa an opportunity to bid for Miss Wheelchair World in 2024 and showcase and drive inclusivity for all abilities.

We wish Ms Bock all the best in flying the SA flag proudly and look forward to welcoming her back on 1 November 2022. Vote for Ms Bock on Miss Wheelchair World’s Facebook page by responding to the photo and sharing the link.

The inaugural edition of the Miss Wheelchair South Africa pageant was held on December, 2, 2021, the eve of the International Day of Disabled Persons. Ms Shama Nathoo, managing director of Universal Accessibility Hub and organiser of the event, is a professional fundraiser and advocate of universal access. Ms Nathoo’s interest in universal access was sparked by her experience of living with a disabling illness as an infant, coupled with inspiration received from her mother, the late Beatrice Ngcobo MP, a former member of parliament. Ms Nathoo was a board member of the Tourism Grading Council of South
Africa.