No legs, no limits: KZN surfer opens doors to accessible gaming
A man born without legs below the knee took up surfing during a pandemic and, within 18 months, was representing South Africa on the world stage. He is now changing the lives of gamers around the world, making things more accessible. This is the story of David Williams.
David Williams was born in KwaZulu-Natal in July 1987 with a bilateral congenital limb deficiency, meaning he had no legs below the knees. Growing up in the Glen Anil area of Durban North and attending Northland Boys High School, Williams faced frequent isolation and exclusion because of his disability.
Sport and the outdoors were not always welcoming spaces, yet he went on to become an Adaptive Surfing Champion, a national team representative, and one of South Africa's most compelling disability advocates.
Despite the challenges of his early years, Williams did not shy away from physical activity. He participated in both swimming and adaptive rowing as he grew up, refusing to let his disability define the boundaries of what he could achieve. Yet it was a sport he came to remarkably late that would bring him his greatest recognition.
What made Williams take up surfing despite a fear of the ocean?
Williams only began surfing around 2020, when he joined the Made for More Adaptive Surfing programme. This was a significant step for a man who had carried a deep fear of the ocean throughout his childhood.
According to My Broadband, the men's kneeling division at the SA Para Surfing Championships was tightly contested between Williams and former SA Para Surfer Tyler Pike from Kommetjie in the Western Cape. Williams came out on top, achieving this with just over one year of surfing experience behind him.
The speed of his progression was remarkable. Within 18 months of taking up the sport, Williams had earned a place on South Africa's national Adaptive Surfing team and won gold at his first SA Para Surfing Championships in 2021. He was subsequently selected to represent South Africa at the ISA World Para Surfing Championship in California in December 2022, a testament to just how rapidly he had risen through the sport.
How did Williams build a successful career before surfing made him famous?
While his surfing achievements have brought him widespread recognition, Williams had already built a substantial professional career long before he ever paddled out.
After leaving school, he pursued multiple certifications in information technology and software testing, earning qualifications from respected institutions including the International Institute for Software Testing, the International Software Testing Qualifications Board, Microsoft, Oracle, the Scrum Alliance and the University of South Africa.
His working life began in January 2006, where he started as a data processing clerk. He progressed steadily through the organisation, he later became a verification consultant, serving as second-in-charge of a 12-person team.
In January 2012, Williams joined Derivco as a PC and mobile software tester. Within seven months he had been promoted to software testing team lead, a role he held until April 2014, when he moved into a test manager position for mobile software testing. He left Derivco in October 2017 to join the Mr Price Group as a quality assurance manager, overseeing a 12-person team responsible for creating, implementing, and managing quality assurance processes.
He later stepped into the role of IT development and quality assurance manager at Mr Price, a position that reflected the depth of experience he had accumulated over more than a decade in the technology sector.
What inspired Williams to found Konke Gamers?
Alongside his surfing career and professional work, Williams has channelled his personal history into building something meaningful for others.
As a child, gaming had offered him a rare sanctuary. "Gaming was one place where I could run, jump, and break barriers that I couldn't in real life," he told Rolling Inspiration. In a world that frequently excluded him, the gaming world provided freedom, equality, and connection.
As he grew older, Williams recognised that this same space remained out of reach for many disabled people in South Africa due to a lack of accessible equipment and inclusive setups.
This realisation led him to found Konke Gamers, a company dedicated to making gaming accessible to people with disabilities. Konke Gamers collaborates with AbleGamers, an American and Brazilian international non-profit focused on improving gaming accessibility, and brings adaptive controllers and inclusive gaming setups to South Africa.
These controllers are designed across a range of form factors to accommodate a broad spectrum of disabilities.
"Being able to help in the gaming world that saved my life is something I can't fully express in words," Williams told Northglen News. "Creating connections for people with disabilities, helping them build relationships and participate in a world I love is just an incredible feeling."
Why does Williams matter beyond sport?
Today, Williams occupies multiple roles simultaneously. He is a disability advocate, an accessibility campaigner, an adaptive surfer, and the founder of a company working to change the lives of disabled gamers across South Africa.
His journey from a child who felt isolated because of his disability to a national sporting representative and entrepreneur is one of quiet determination rather than dramatic reinvention.
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