In this episode of The Add IDEAS Podcast, Bandile Mndebele sits down with South African disability rights advocate Bongani Mapumulo to explore accessibility, identity, and lived experience.

From navigating public spaces to conversations about masculinity, relationships, education, and innovation, this discussion brings lived experience to the forefront of how societies design systems — and who those systems include or exclude.

Bongani shares both personal insights and professional work advancing assistive technology, inclusive design, and disability innovation in low- and middle-income contexts. The conversation highlights why understanding people and their lived realities is the first step toward meaningful inclusion.

Whether you work in policy, education, design, technology, or simply want to better understand disability and inclusion, this episode challenges us to rethink how access, dignity, and opportunity shape everyday life.

About the Guest

Bongani Mapumulo is a disability rights advocate and researcher focused on inclusive innovation and assistive technology in the Global South.

With academic foundations in Political Science, Sociology, and Social Anthropology from Stellenbosch University, Bongani also holds advanced diplomas in Disability & Rehabilitation and Intercultural Communication.

He pursued a Master of Philosophy in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, where his research explores how assistive technologies and inclusive design can improve opportunities for students living with disabilities in low-income communities.

Referenced Work

This conversation references the book Physical Disability and Sexuality: Stories from South Africa (2021).

Edited by Xanthe Hunt, Stine Hellum Braathen, Mussa Chiwaula, Mark T. Carew, Poul Rohleder, and Leslie Swartz, and published by Springer Nature under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Bongani’s contributions appear in:

• Chapter 6 — Physical Disability and Masculinity: Hegemony and Exclusion

• Chapter 7 — Bongani’s Story

Notable Mentions

• Carl & Emily Fuchs Foundation

• Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship

• UCT Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching — One Button Studios

Connect with Bongani Mapumulo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bongani-mapumulo-828746206/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bongani.mapumulo.1

Work with Bandile Mndebele

Host Bandile Mndebele is available for speaking engagements, collaborations, workshops, interviews, and partnerships.

Contact: info@bandilem.com

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

• (00:00) - Why this conversation matters
• (00:21) - Background
• (01:57) - Moving the needle: Where to begin?
• (02:46) - Why are some spaces more accessible than others?
• (05:50) - Designing better access
• (07:17) - A day in the life
• (09:22) - The biggest challenges with access
• (09:51) - The importance of education
• (13:53) - A journey to reasonable accommodation
• (16:40) - Who should be leading the education?
• (20:43) - Globalising and normalising solutions
• (22:19) - In order to help people, we need to understand them
• (23:36) - Perspectives and lived experiences matter
• (25:34) - The intersections with masculinity and sexuality
• (30:14) - A dating life experience
• (32:56) - Frequent questions to be mindful of
• (34:42) - Being the only one
• (38:28) - Personal Story
• (45:33) - Broadening positive representation and normalising inclusion
• (48:31) - The importance of role models and mentors
• (51:24) - Most compelling message: the element of surprise
• (54:18) - Closing

Bandile Mndebele speaks with disability rights advocate and inclusive innovation researcher Bongani Mapumulo about accessibility, disability inclusion, identity, education, assistive technology and lived experience.

The conversation explores how public spaces, institutions and technologies can exclude people—and why understanding people’s real lives must come before designing solutions for them.

Inclusive design begins with listening.

Guest: Bongani Mapumulo

Topics: accessibility, disability inclusion, inclusive design, assistive technology, education, innovation, identity, universal design and technology.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (00:20) - Personal Story
• (01:47) - Challenges and Activism in Student Life
• (05:17) - Institutional Preparedness and Accessibility
• (07:06) - Assistive Technology and Support
• (12:25) - Reasonable Accommodation and Equity
• (22:36) - Intersectionality and Lived Experiences
• (27:48) - Personal Story and Impact
• (28:50) - Navigating Identity and Spaces
• (30:25) - Challenges and Opportunities in Education
• (38:54) - Representation and Inclusion
• (41:24) - Influence of Supportive Figures
• (42:33) - The Importance of Early Belief
• (43:49) - Grassroots Representation
• (44:00) - Unheard Voices and Broader Solutions
• (45:55) - Final Thoughts

Bandile Mndebele speaks with entrepreneur Avelile Nontanda about entrepreneurship, digital business, branding, South Africa’s informal economy and the realities that shape who gets to build and succeed.

The conversation explores township economies, Black Tax, market access, digital platforms, identity and the challenge of building a more self-reliant economy.

A conversation about entrepreneurship, economic opportunity and growth beyond the usual business playbook.

Guest: Avelile Nontanda

Topics: South Africa, entrepreneurship, economic growth, informal economy, township economy, Black Tax, digital business, branding and market access.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with speaker, consultant and author Annemarie Shrouder about belonging, polarisation, healing, intersectionality and the lessons communities can take from the years following COVID-19.

They explore what happens when we stop expecting people to arrive perfectly healed — and start creating spaces where people can do their own work while still belonging to something larger.

Guest: Annemarie Shrouder

Topics: community, belonging, trauma, healing, polarisation, intersectionality, COVID-19, relationships, social connection and inclusion.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with Hubspace founding director and venture scout Melilizwe Gqobo about entrepreneurship, township economies, patient capital, community, enterprise development and innovation.

The conversation looks beyond the mythology of the lone founder to examine the infrastructure, relationships and support systems that allow businesses to survive and grow.

Guest: Melilizwe Gqobo

Topics: entrepreneurship, startups, innovation, township economy, patient capital, enterprise development, South Africa and business ecosystems.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with creative, writer, performer and organiser Udoka Maya Okonkwo about LGBTQ+ identity, community, Pride, self-acceptance and the difference between being seen and being free.

The conversation explores intersectionality, collective action, allyship and the importance of creating communities where people do not have to prove that they belong.

Guest: Udoka Maya Okonkwo

Topics: LGBTQ+ rights, LGBTQ+ identity, Pride, belonging, intersectionality, allyship, community, freedom and inclusion.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with DEI speaker and facilitator Roy Gluckman-John about the changing conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion, particularly in South Africa.

They explore grief, loss, belonging, community and the conversations institutions need to have when progress becomes politically or culturally difficult. A conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion, organisational culture and what remains possible when the language of inclusion comes under pressure.

Guest: Roy Gluckman

Topics: DEI, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, South Africa, organisational culture, workplace inclusion, community and leadership.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with communications expert and storyteller Thabani Mtsi about finding your voice, speaking with conviction and communicating ideas in ways that connect.

From public speaking and storytelling to leadership and pitching ideas, the conversation explores why communication is not simply about what we say—but how we make people feel, listen and respond.

Guest: Thabani Mtsi

Topics: communication, storytelling, public speaking, confidence, leadership, relationships, pitching, presentation skills and personal branding.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with Leonore van Wyk about representation, self-narratives, opportunity and the power of seeing people like ourselves succeed.

The conversation explores how media, leadership and everyday examples can expand our sense of possibility—and why helping someone take their next step can be one of the most powerful forms of impact.

Guest: Leonore van Wyk

Topics: representation, inclusion, opportunity, leadership, identity, media, role models, diversity, equity and social impact.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele speaks with education changemaker and ESG enthusiast Pumla Dlamini about grief, resilience, confidence, voice, presence and the responsibility leaders have to bring other people with them. 

From an unexpected early experience with mathematics to building confidence and creating change, Pumla reflects on how difficult experiences can become sources of purpose. A conversation about compassionate leadership, resilience, education and becoming the change we want to see.

Guest: Pumla Dlamini

Topics: leadership, grief, resilience, education, ESG, confidence, purpose, compassionate leadership and social impact.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele reflects on navigating change, redefining success and developing a kinder relationship with uncertainty. The conversation explores self-talk, expectations, resilience, identity and the questions worth asking when life refuses to stay still.

Change is not only about what happens around us. It can also change how we see ourselves.

Topics: change, resilience, identity, uncertainty, success, self-development, mindset and personal growth.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

Bandile Mndebele reflects on navigating change, redefining success and developing a kinder relationship with uncertainty. The conversation explores self-talk, expectations, resilience, identity and the questions worth asking when life refuses to stay still.

Change is not only about what happens around us. It can also change how we see ourselves.

Topics: change, resilience, identity, uncertainty, success, self-development, mindset and personal growth.

The Add IDEAS Podcast is an OTHERWISE production.

The Add IDEAS Podcast explores Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Sustainability through conversations about leadership, technology, culture and the systems shaping our lives.

Hosted by Bandile Mndebele, the show asks better questions about work, belonging, power, innovation and what it means to create meaningful change.

Start here.