Central SA
Free State technician develops wireless lighting system for wheelchair user─── REFILWE BEKANE 15:00 Tue, 19 May 2026
A Free State engineering technician has developed a wireless lighting control system to assist an employee who uses a wheelchair, removing the need for conventional wall switches.
Thabiso Matsemela, an employee within the project management unit and security section of the Free State department of public works and infrastructure, made the system after a colleague, Elsonia Swarts, experienced difficulties accessing her office light switch.
Swarts, a wheelchair user whose office switch was tied to the ceiling bulb, can now operate the lighting system through a remote control device. The technology combines smart switches and transceiver modules, allowing the user to activate or deactivate electrical systems without physical strain
“I am thankful to him because sometimes I would leave the lights in my office on because it was difficult for me to switch them off, so with this invention, that is no longer the case, and importantly, I can save the department money on electricity,” said Swarts.
Matsemela previously made an integrated alarm and energy management system that automatically disconnects appliances, such as air conditioners and heaters, when buildings are empty, earning him the Trailblazer Award from the Centre for Public Service Innovation in 2022.
Elsonia Swarts can now operate the lighting system through a remote control device. Photo: Free State department of public works and infrastructure
“There is no danger to this system because it’s properly secured,” said Matsemela, who built the device using affordable, accessible components to ensure it can be manufactured easily.
The solution may also be implemented in other departments. People outside his workplace have expressed interest and shared their own problem statements regarding people with special needs.
He holds a Master’s in electrical engineering from the Central University of Technology and is pursuing his doctorate. He’s developing a separate security system made to prevent the theft of mobile assets, such as laptops and tablets, from government offices.
This new system monitors unoccupied offices and sends automated alerts to a central security control room if an asset is moved without authorisation.
Public works and infrastructure MEC Dibolelo Mance said the provincial government supported Matsemela’s work and values investment in local innovation.
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