My story

When I was in high school, my favourite thing to do with my friends was play soccer. One day, I woke up and had no feeling in my legs. I couldn’t control my movements, couldn’t carry a school bag, and struggled to walk, especially upstairs. I went to countless doctors and had X-rays and lumbar punctures, but no one could tell me what was wrong.

After school, I worked at a furniture fitting supplier as a sales representative, but the warehouse burned down in 2015, and all the employees lost their jobs. A year later, I had no job, and my car got repossessed, so I started cutting hair in my neighbourhood as a source of income.

I wanted a stable salary and a fresh start, so I began looking for “disabled jobs” on the Internet, and I came across Signa Academy. They offered learnerships for disabled people, and I decided to apply. I got a call from Susan, and she told me I needed to complete a written assessment in order to apply for the learnership. At the time, I was broke and couldn’t get to Signa, so Susan emailed me the test, which I completed, and I got my brother to email it back to her. It was a long wait that weekend to hear from Signa, but they called to tell me I had passed. I had been looking for an opportunity for a year, so the news was the best thing I had heard in a long time. 

I enrolled at Signa Academy for a Business Practice Learnership, where I learnt management and entrepreneurial skills, accounting, creating business goals, and so much more. After 12 months, I graduated.

I realised that there were very few Afrikaans assessors at Signa Academy, and I saw this as an opportunity, so I approached them with my idea and got hired for a month. Signa Group’s senior staff said I had potential and offered me an internal vacancy in their finance department.

How my life has changed 

I now buy clothes and groceries for myself, and I can go out with my friends. I started playing soccer again, and I have a new favourite hobby – weightlifting – which has made my legs stronger.

My future

I want to further educate myself by doing more learnerships through Signa Academy and to get a higher NGF Level.

My advice

Life begins with you, and without goals, you can’t achieve anything. 

What Signa means to me

The staff at Signa are incredibly friendly, and they motivate and guide you. I love the culture and the people, and I believe I can grow here.

The Power Of One

Jonathan is helping put his younger sister through university. His actions have made a difference in her life, giving her the opportunity to learn further, find employment, earn a living, and positively contribute to her community and the country’s economy. Through the Power of One, Jonathan’s life has changed, and now his sister is empowered to make a difference in someone else’s life.