Simon is the Managing Editor of THISABILITY Newspaper – a disability awareness multimedia platform in South Africa. He has worked with Ladysmith Black Mambazo as the Brand Manager and has aligned the multi–Grammy Award winning group with Tourism KZN and Ithala Bank brands for ambassadorship concepts. The stint in the disability arts started in 2011 and has taken Simon into media and disability management training space. In partnership with Media24, THISABILITY Newspaper has an annual training program that empowers youth with disability with basic journalism skills to freelance for the newspaper.
In its seventh year in 2023, the programme has so far empowered about twenty young adults by allowing them to write their own narratives and advocate in their own spaces. The Southern African Federation on Disability (SAFOD) has also partnered with THISABILITY Newspaper to train youth in media, disability mainstreaming and basic website development. So far, the partnership has empowered 36 youth in six Southern countries namely, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique and eSwatini, and has four more countries to go (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho and Angola).
“Casual Day”- the largest disability fundraising platform in South Africa awarded Simon with the “Personality of the Year” Award in 2015. Simon still manages to network internationally for various linkages with the aim of creating spaces for development and growth for youth with disabilities
