News24 | King Nipho’s 5 000km walk: One leg, 9 provinces, one message of hope

Mqondisi ‘King Nipho’ Ntshangase on the road during his 5 000km #OneLegWalk across South Africa. The 37-year-old amputee set off from Pretoria on 25 May 2026 and is walking through all nine provinces on a prosthetic leg.

Fran Reynolds/Supplied

• Amputee activist Mqondisi “King Nipho” Ntshangase is walking 5 000km across all nine provinces on a prosthetic leg.
• He set off from Pretoria on 25 May 2026 and has already covered more than 2 000km, reaching KwaZulu-Natal.
• His self-funded #OneLegWalk aims to prove that disability is not inability and push for more inclusive communities.

A 37-year-old amputee from Pretoria is walking 5 000km across all nine provinces on a prosthetic leg to prove that disability is not inability – and he is already more than halfway there.

Mqondisi “King Nipho” Ntshangase, who lost his leg to cancer at 25, set off from Pretoria on 25 May, and five months later is making his way through KwaZulu-Natal, with communities across the country rallying behind him.

For King Nipho, the journey is as much about what the human spirit can overcome as it is about covering distance. It is a walk he hopes will show that no affliction is bigger than what a person can bear – and that there is always a way forward, even when the road seems impossible.

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He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in 2012. Two years later, at the age of 25, his leg was amputated. Adjusting to life with a prosthetic was a challenge, but the Krugersdorp-born activist does not believe in taking anything lying down.

“I want to prove that disability is not inability. There is no limit to what you can achieve,” King Nipho said.

An impossible goal

On 25 May, he set off from his home in Pretoria with what seemed like a simple yet impossible goal – walking 5 000km across the country on a prosthetic leg as part of his #OneLegWalk campaign.

The journey has taken him from Pretoria to Cape Town and back up the country, to cover all nine provinces. It is a solo undertaking, self-funded, self-motivated, and driven by a conviction that no affliction is bigger than the human spirit.

It is a route that has put him through some of the country’s most demanding terrain, all on a prosthetic leg and entirely at his own expense.

He reached the halfway point in Gqeberha on 21 August, having already walked more than 2 000km.

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There, members of the Association for the Physically Disabled in Nelson Mandela Bay turned out to welcome him and show their support – a moment that underscored the very reason he set off.

Passing 2 000km meant the halfway mark was behind him, but the road ahead was still long.

“It’s been an interesting journey, with challenges along the way, but people have been very supportive. They see what I’m trying to do and want to help. That kindness makes a big difference,” King Nipho said.

Still walking

Almost five months after setting off, he is now making his way through KwaZulu-Natal, having passed through Scottburgh on 8 October and heading towards Durban, before continuing to Mbobela, Polokwane and finally, back to Pretoria.

The 5 000km journey will end where it began at his home in Pretoria, months and nine provinces after he first set off.

“The response has been overwhelming. The communities are loving it, and people are so interested in someone making history,” King Nipho said.

The walk is entirely self-funded, and he faced the practical difficulties of finding places to wash, do laundry and rest before continuing along his route. For an amputee covering thousands of kilometres on foot, these are not minor inconveniences – they are daily tests of endurance and will.

But the kindness of strangers has kept him going.

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Residents, councillors and mayors in towns along the way offered food, water, money and accommodation. Some residents invited him into their homes to do laundry. Others helped arrange stays at guest houses and hotels.

Every gesture of generosity along the way, King Nipho said, made a difference and reinforced his belief that South Africans were ready to support one another when someone took the first step.

More than one cause

The #OneLegWalk is about more than personal endurance.

King Nipho’s mission is to raise awareness about the experiences of people living with disabilities and to encourage communities to become more inclusive.

His broader goals include supporting initiatives to restore vandalised sports facilities, providing children with safe places to play, creating opportunities for people living with disabilities, and rehabilitating or building shelters for people experiencing homelessness.

With Durban next on his route, communities are encouraged to come out and show support for his mission.

Updates from the road are available on social media: Am King Nipho on Facebook, @kingniphosa on TikTok, and @kingniphosa on Instagram.

From Pretoria to Cape Town, from Gqeberha to KwaZulu-Natal, one thing has been constant – people showing support for a man who refused to stop.

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