Ms Thembelihle Ngcai

Ms Ngcai is a journalist, disability rights leader, and rare disease patient advocate. She is the founder of Beyond Access Consulting, a firm that works with corporations, governments and research institutions to embed disability and rare disease inclusion into research design, policy development and communication strategies.

Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 3, she brings a powerful lived-experience perspective to global health equity and inclusion. She currently serves on the Rare Disease International Care Pathways Review Group and will represent Cure Spinal Muscular Atrophy South Africa (CURESMA) at the 5th Spinal Muscular Atrophy Scientific Congress (2026).

Her leadership and advocacy have been recognised through keynote addresses at the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, the South African Human Rights Commission, Rhodes University, the Neuroscience Institute’s Master of Neuroscience (MNeuroSc) Neurogenomics Elective Programme, Volvo Group of Southern Africa, and McCain Foods Group, among others.

Thembelihle has been recognised as one of News24’s Top 30 Young Mandela’s of the Future (2025) and is a 2025 nominee to Diversability’s D-30 Disability Impact List.