We are proud to announce a historic milestone with the appointment of Silindile Makhaye as our Chair of the Board. Stepping into the role after serving as deputy chair for four years, Silindile is the first woman to lead the SAMBT Board in our nearly three-decade history.
Silindile takes the helm with a profound personal understanding of SAMBT’s mission. Having lost her sight in 2015, she speaks powerfully of her own transformative experience with Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training, which she says “restored my confidence and my dreams.”
She dedicates her time to SAMBT so as “to be part of an amazing team that brings life-restoring change to people with visual impairment.” It was her O&M practitioner (Rosetta Smile Ndlovu) who showed her there was life after losing her sight. In addition to mobility skills, Smile helped her rediscover joy in everyday activities and hobbies like cooking for family and friends.
Silindile brings not only her personal journey but also extensive experience, having served on the boards of the SA National Council for the Blind and the South African Blind Youth Organisation (SABYO). Her vision for SAMBT is clear: to continue the vital work of restoring dignity through mobility and to push further, helping more visually impaired people access employment and educational opportunities.
“I am not taking lightly the responsibility and privilege extended to lead such an enlightened board,” says Silindile, “neither the trust placed in me as the first female chairperson.”
We extend our sincere thanks to outgoing chair Silomo Khumalo for his dedicated leadership over the past five and a half years and wish him well in his academic pursuits abroad.
Under Silindile Makhaye’s guidance, SAMBT is poised to enter a new era, energized and deeply committed to championing an inclusive society for all.
