Panthera wheelchairs are the lightest rigid-frame wheelchairs in the world. CLAIRE RENCKEN learns more
Founded in 1989 by Jalle Jungnell, a former racing driver who’d become paralysed, Panthera is based in Stockholm, Sweden. Jungnell had a vision of building the lightest wheelchair in the world, and Panthera now manufactures 5 000 wheelchairs each year and exports to almost 40 countries all over the world.
The Panthera chairs, other than the X, are manufactured from chrome molybdenum, commonly known as chrome moly, a very light but very strong material. Other features include carbon fibre rear axles, titanium or aluminium foot rests and a one-hand brake. The materials, graphics and textiles all work well together. Chairman Industries in South Africa has been associated with Panthera since 2013, when the first Panthera X was imported for Mathys Roets. “We are proud to offer a world-class wheelchair that is stylish and advanced. The Panthera range of chairs offers users a dynamic wheelchair that is light and easy to put into any vehicle. The full range of Panthera wheelchairs includes the X, the U2 light, the new U3 and S3, the S3 short, the S3 large and the S3 Swing, as well as two children’s chairs: the Bambino and the Micro,” says Viv Sierra, CEO of Chairman Industries.
Chairman Industries invites all wheelchair users to come and test drive the Panthera range at their premises in Johannesburg, or call one of the Chairman Industries consultants in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, or agents in Bloemfontein, East London, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth, Botswana and Namibia. (Head office: 011 614 1222)
MY NAME IS LIZO FROM SOWETO INDEPENDENT CENTER THE ORGANISATION For the DISABLED I NEED A WHEELCHAIR And The Cushion THE Department Of LABOUR WILL be Paying for FOR ME
Dear Lizo, thank you for reaching out. We don’t assist with wheelchairs. We advise you to contact the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) for assistance. You can e-mail them at info@qasa.co.za or phone their offices at 031 767 0352.