24 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Jack Msibi Sporting goals to unite the community Jack Msibi at Corinthians Sports Ministry In 2012 Jack Msibi was studying for a business degree from Monash University. His mother owned a building in downtown Johannesburg and the family was financially stable. Everything changed when his mother's building was hijacked and taken over by a fake landlord. Jack had to drop out of university and the family moved from room to room, unable to afford permanent accommodation. With no money and no job, Jack would go out into the park and play football every day. He was a skilled soccer player and soon a few young kids came to practice with him. With nothing else to do, they showed up every day at his door waiting for the training session to begin. Seven years later, the practice sessions in the park have grown into a community sports “ministry” called Corinthians which provides ongoing soccer, cricket and netball coaching to the community of La Rochelle in southern Johannesburg. Jack also started a soccer team there for kids who are blind. The ‘ministry’ part of the programme comes from Jack’s deep Christian faith and is central to the whole purpose of Corinthians. They are not just providing a space for people to come and play sports. They are inviting anyone who needs a refuge, even just for a couple of hours, to attend coaching sessions, and at the same time engaging them in conversations around social issues and self-development. Although it is grounded in the principles of the church, everyone is welcome. “Where else would you get drug addicts and the police playing soccer together?” If a young boy comes to play soccer, they will sign him up and engage him in conversations about his home and school life. They will check in and check up, making sure that he has the support he needs if he is struggling at school or if there are issues at home. But back to the soccer team for people with visual impairments. It started with two boys who were hassling Jack about wanting to play soccer. He didn't think it was possible but the more they hassled him, the more interested he became. He did some research and he found out that it was already an established game. He approached the local school for the blind, a boarding school that accepts learners from all around the country. They managed to put together a team of eight people who now train two times a week. One of the most exciting things for Jack is that the kids are starting to express an interest in becoming coaches and introducing blind soccer to different places around the country. This is what Corinthians is all about to Jack, bringing young people together through sport and providing them with a space where they can start to imagine a future. < Previous Item Next Item >

36 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Christinah Mdau Defending rights against mining threats Christinah Mdau with Mariah Moleme , Pintli Molalasi ,Ditlallo Lehula , Lerato Koloi ,Martha Koloi and Peter Selloe As we sit in the “community centre”; a rudimentary tin-roofed, open-sided structure, Christinah tells me that the local mine won’t be blasting today because they know that I am there and that for the time being, I am safe. However, If I had arrived two months prior it would have been too dangerous, I could have been intimidated, beaten or escorted away by the supporters of the mine. Even so, a police vehicle circles us, looking at me as we speak, and a large group of men stand close by but don’t engage. It has been 13 years since at least 850 homes in Mmaditlhokwa Village in Marikana were relocated so that Tharisa Minerals mining company could exploit the land underneath them. Individuals and families were promised permanent housing, water, electricity and sewerage, but to this day they are still in the shacks built for them as temporary housing back in 2010. The mine is yet again encroaching on their homes and the blasting that happens almost daily provides a shower of rocks and dust, accompanied by a piercingly loud siren warning them to get inside, or better still move under the “community centre” for protection. The school is now under threat as the area that is being mined has moved closer to its walls. This is no way for anyone to live. There are people in the community who support the mine, they hope that the opportunities will out way the risk. Although they were promised jobs, a few short 2 to 3-month contract jobs are all that have materialised. There is strength in numbers, and so Christinah and a local group of concerned residents got together to form an organisation that they have called DEHRVA (Defenders for Environment and Human Rights Violations in Africa). Its sole purpose is to deal with the immediate threat to their livelihoods. DEHRVA believes that the human rights of the community have been violated by the mine and the National Government. Through their various programs, guided by section 24 of the South African Constitution, they hope to remedy the situation by involving those who they consider to be responsible for redressing the impacts that the community has faced. This includes both government and private entities. What they want are the promises to be kept that were made to them all those years ago. They want a safe life for themselves and their families, away from the air and noise pollution of the mine, away from the rocks falling on the roofs of their houses, and away from the daily intimidation and imposition of blasting. But it is more complicated than that. The longer they live in one area, the more connected they are to the land, and the more family members have been buried and rituals have been established. They are not asking for the world, just their basic constitutional rights. As I sit under the shelter, surrounded by these seven determined Actionists, I can see that they are not scared, that they will not be intimidated. As I sit with them I am not scared either. But when I leave on my own, I hurry to get home. < Previous Item Next Item >

40 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Candice Chirwa Championing period positivity Candice Chirwa in Delta Park, Johannesburg The self-styled “Minister of Menstruation” knows what it’s like to feel shame about being on her period. From the age of 10, it was a secret that was never discussed at her school, and that all the girls went to great lengths to conceal. “I really did feel like I was going to die. It was as if my childhood had come to an end and I had to mature quickly and hide this thing from everyone for 11 years. Nobody was talking about it.” When she left school Candice knew that she wanted to do something to help others and address issues of gender inequality. She had a background in dramatic arts, debating and public speaking, and the passion to challenge the tired norms that she experienced on a daily basis. “We have to call a period a period. We have to call a vagina a vagina. If you are offended by that then you are offended by biology!” In 2018 Candice founded QRATE, an NPO that gives workshops at schools and workplaces around the country. Their aim is to create a safe, period-positive society that does not regard menstruation as shameful but openly embraces it as a normal part of life. Their workshops are designed to facilitate workplaces, schools and homes in developing more accepting practices which provide support, information and resources in an empowering and affirming way. Through a process that they call ‘Eduliftment’, Candice aims to enhance the critical thinking skills of young people to help them navigate the more difficult parts of growing up. At QRATE they do this through service, education and advocacy. As well as running her NPO, Candice hosts the podcasts “What The Relationship” and “Patriarchy Popcast”. She has also co-authored two books, the latest of which is titled “Flow - The Book About Menstruation”. In 2020 Candice became the Minister of Menstruation and from her position as a social media thought leader she has created a platform to speak openly about periods, advocate for legislative change and to inspire everyone to be period-positive. Given that at least 50% of the population are people who menstruate, that cannot be a bad thing. < Previous Item Next Item >

50 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Thato Mphuthi Challenging disability stigma through education Thato Mphuthi at home in Soweto, Gauteng So much Actionism is driven by personal experience and the need to make sure that nobody else suffers in the same way. No more so than for Thato Mphuthi, a powerful voice for the rights of people with disabilities. At 8 years old Thato was diagnosed with TB of the right hip. She had to rely on crutches to get around and took a long time to adjust to her new way of moving. Not only was she in pain and drastically restricted in her movement, but she also became alienated from her friends and fearful of being picked on. For a year her classroom was on the first floor and, only being able to cope with navigating the stairs once a day, she had to stay upstairs for the whole day, unable to join in at break time or enjoy lunch with her friends. In high school, the bullying got worse and she became more introverted. She wrote a poem called “Imizwayami” (My Feelings) for an assignment and performed it in front of her class. It was a raw expression of her experiences as a person with a disability. The performance prompted a change in attitude from many of her fellow students and lit a fire in Thato, proving that she had the ability to change people’s perceptions of her. After leaving school Thato slowly started to engage with activists. She was introduced to the One In Nine Campaign, working with survivors of GBV and the Young Urban Woman Movement and Activate. I am so grateful for the experience that came with having this condition because it changed my outlook on life and opened me up to different things ... I often say to my friends that this feels like a hug to my 8-year-old self who could not speak for themselves at the time. The work that I am doing, as much as I am passionate about it, is also my way of healing. In 2020 Thato started her own NPO, Enabled Enlightenment, as a way to educate children about issues relating to disability, encouraging them to live as good examples to others in their communities. Once she started to run workshops in schools, the program was broadened to include issues of consent, body autonomy, GBV, and sexual and reproductive health. Thato is wearing the Disability Pride T-Shirt designed by tebo x emeka which can be bought through the link in our online store. < Previous Item Next Item >

47 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Tshepiso Makoni Using t-shirts to tackle stereotypes Tshepiso Makoni at home in Soweto, Gauteng Art changes the people who engage with it, sometimes in the most subtle ways. Artists find inspiration and meaning in different places, the motivational drive to create is fed by the feeling of making something with purpose. Purpose, to Tshepiso, comes in starting conversations that change the way her community sees themselves, and each other. As one half of the artistic duo Tebo X Emeka, Tshepiso creates T-shirts that fuse photography and graphic design to gently push tired old narratives in a new direction. For their first project, Taxiology, they focused on the taxi industry around Soweto. They wanted to celebrate the industry for its unique position in South African culture, accepting the perceived view of taxis as inconvenient, noisy and dangerous whilst also celebrating the positive interactions that they facilitate. You can’t find the culture that we have here anywhere else. When you get inside a taxi you have to greet everyone, you combine your money with the other passengers and send it to the front. You tell jokes, you discuss the news. Tebo X Emeka wants to help people see themselves for who they are and who they could be by providing representation of township culture in fashion, using the T-Shirt as an accessible, portable gallery for purpose-driven artwork. More recently Tshepiso has designed and created the disability pride t-shirt, again looking to change the conversation around a subject that has been stigmatised and stereotyped. T-Shirts are a way to begin a conversation, for us to be able to represent people with disabilities. It allows for their voices to be heard and for them to be seen. Her hope is that the t-shirts will start a conversation and become a driving force for action. They want to partner with the government to use disability pride shirts as a starting point to create a new language around disability, public consciousness and acceptance. By creating work that has meaning, and the intention to drive conversation, Tshepiso is planting the seeds of change in her community. To change the way that people view their community and therefore themselves is no small idea. < Previous Item Next Item >

44 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Luyanda Mazwi Developing an eco-fridge for street vendors Luyanda Mazwi (left) with Gladys, a street vendor in Brixton, Johannesburg In a small church in the Johannesburg suburb of Brixton, a rowdy crowd is singing along to Doo-Be-Doo by Freshly Ground, which is being performed by a small, enthusiastic choir. It is the last performance of a night of music and poetry that has been organised by Luyanda Mazwi, an astrophysics master's student from the University of Johannesburg. He has planned and funded the whole night for one purpose, to ask if anyone has a 3D printer that he can borrow. Whilst still an undergraduate student, Luyanda and a friend decided to build a community farm in a village in Limpopo. They wanted to provide an alternative to the lack of food security in the area, to see if they could encourage the community to get involved. They didn’t think about it too hard, they just went and did it, and they made lots of mistakes. But it started a journey for Luyanda that centred around using his time, energy and education to help others. Over the years, the idea of creating a small community farm has grown into a dream to overhaul the supply chain of fresh food, from organic community gardens to street vendors. As a first step, Luyanda has designed a portable, electricity-free cooling system, made out of recycled plastic, that could provide street vendors with a cheap and efficient way to keep their fruit and vegetables from spoiling if they do not sell them all in one day. It is a simple, water-cooled system, that could be developed and constructed at a minimal cost using materials that are readily available and already being collected by waste pickers around the city. His prototypes are promising, but the precision needed for the cooling system makes it difficult to produce by hand, hence the 3D printer. Using down-cycled plastic bottles, Luyanda wants to 3D print the prototype and develop it into a product that can be easily reproduced. Together with small community gardens, the “fridge” could allow for a more productive supply chain that includes many other members of the community. The intention is not to make money, he wants to develop the product and then release the IP so that anyone can build could build and sell the fridges. This is a big idea that could change the lives of street vendors and could be the starting point for job creation and a more inclusive supply chain. But for now, Luyanda just needs a 3D printer. If you can help Luyanda to get access to a 3D printer which can print over 260 degrees Celsius and is not PTFE lined please let us know in the comments or get in touch. < Previous Item Next Item >

51 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Faeeza Lok Engaging communities for lasting change Faeeza Lok in Fourways, Gauteng Actionism often starts with one person and the unique story that drives an unrelenting desire to see a change in the world around them. Faeeza Lok was born in South Africa but grew up in Hong Kong. As a mixed-race kid in a country that exhibited very little diversity, she was left feeling like she didn’t belong. When she moved back to South Africa at the age of 15 she found her home, the place where it all made sense. A country where everyone is struggling to belong in a vibrant melting pot of complex identities. “It’s my identity that birthed my activism.” At the age of 25 Faeeza decided to start the Voice of The People Movement. The idea was to solve local problems through design thinking, a human-centred process by which innovative solutions are found by consulting with the affected people to understand their needs, feelings and behaviours. Working in the township of Thembisa, Faeeza went to schools, parks and out onto the streets to find volunteers interested in joining her on the journey, training them up with the skills needed to be part of the movement. These included workshops on practising empathy, resilient mindsets and unlearning unconscious bias. They then embarked on a week-long door-to-door campaign, engaging the community in order to really understand their needs. From this research, they put together an ongoing series of outreach activities focusing on cleanups, skills training and community upliftment around Thembisa. Voice of the People paved the way for her next bold move. Faeeza is now the volunteer coordinator for RISE Mzansi, South Africa’s newest political party, where she is taking her ideas of empowerment and change to a whole new level. Activism often starts with one person but there comes a point when they need to find a team of like-minded people with whom they can walk patiently forward, laying the groundwork for sustained change. Faeeza Lok may have started alone but now she’s found her people and she’s ready for change. < Previous Item Next Item >

UNITED DOMESTIC WORKERS OF SOUTH AFRICA Advocating for the labour rights and dignified treatment of domestic workers. Read More Contact Us The United Domestic Workers of South Africa was founded by Pinky Mashiane, a domestic worker who recognised the need to combat low pay, long hours, GBV, harassment and other hazards of an unregulated work life. Our aim is to support domestic workers to get justice for inhumane treatment, to educate them in a full understanding of their rights and to advocate for labour laws that support domestic workers. Domestic work is often seen as informal work, even though the hours are usually well over a regular full time role. The conditions of work usually go unregulated and the mostly black female workforce are easily exploited. As a domestic worker you are protected under the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. We assist with cases of... Inhumane treatment Physical abuse, verbal abuse and sexual harassment Exploitation Underpaying, overworking, minimum wage and withholding pay Accidental harm Dog attacks, accidents and injuries whilst working. Wrongful termination Dismissal due to HIV status, health issues, wrongful accusations of theft. Joanna Mkhoza In 2019 Joanna Mkhonza was savagely beaten by the 28 year-old son of the couple for whom she had worked for 22 years. After a night of heavy drinking Enrico took out his frustrations at the South African government on the woman who had helped to raise him since he was five years old. Joanna managed to escape with heavy bruising to her face but was forced into retirement by the incident. A criminal charge has been lodged against the family but still has not been heard in the court. In the CCMA the family was ordered to pay Joanna R48,000 (£2,500 approx.) for loss of earnings. Sarah Makuwa Sarah was working for a family in Pretoria in 2012 when she was blinded in one eye by an open bottle of drain cleaner that fell from the top shelf. Her employer had asked her to move all of the cleaning products to a lower shelf. Instead of taking her straight to hospital, Sarah was made to wait until the husband got home and was driven to hospital two hours after the accident took place. She stayed in hospital for 3 months, but when the family was asked to pay for medication they refused, saying that they didn’t have any money. On returning to work she found that the electricity had been cut off to her living quarters, and the toilet had been blocked. After three months she was forced to leave and told that they could no longer employ her. 10 years later and Sarah still hasn’t received any compensation, but she is working with Pinky to get justice for her injury. Rebecca Kutumela After 3 years of diligent work as a domestic worker and nanny, Rebecca Kutumela was dismissed from her job with no warning because she took three days off, sick with flu. Rebecca was paid a salary of R4,000 a month to be a live-in domestic worker. The understanding was that she would work 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, but the reality was very different. Often she would have to get up early to look after the baby and at 4pm she was expected to feed and bath the child, often she would only finish at 8pm once she had served dinner and washed up the dishes. As she was live-in, Rebecca was often expected to babysit when her employers wanted an evening out, there was no offer of payment. Since September 2023 Rebecca has been unable to find work. She is now 60 years old and a mother to 2 daughters, grandmother to 4. She has been left feeling dehumanised and discarded by a family who did not care about her life but only what they could get from her for as little as possible. IMPACT More than 200 domestic workers have been assisted since the formation of UDWOSA. UDWOSA currently has over 700 members nationally. According to Statistics South Africa’s most recent quarterly labour force survey, the country has almost one million domestic workers. Contact Us CALL / WHATSAPP Pinky Mashiane: +27 73 291 2244 / +27 79 474 3321 Emmah Tshabangu: +27 76 439 9293 Rebecca Kutumela: +27 82 315 4248 EMAIL udwosa.2018@gmail.com Join our Facebook group In The Media Video: Newzroom Afrika Houses for Domestic Workers Video: SABC Fighting for the Rights of Domestic Workers Video: The Forge Challenging Injustice Through Law Article: Daily Maverick The Actionists - Profile Article: Mail & Guardian Domestic Workers Will Rise Up Article: LRS Meet The Union Leader Pinky Mashiane Pinky Mashiane is the founder of UDWOSA and works tirelessly for the rights of domestic workers around the country. On a regular workday, her phone will not stop ringing with requests for help from people who don’t know where else to turn. She started her professional life as a domestic worker but soon realised she could not tolerate the conditions and treatment that were considered normal. She became one of the most prominent voices for the rights of domestic workers around the country. One of Pinky’s greatest achievements has been to get domestic workers included in Coida (the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act). This came about through her work on the landmark case of Maria Mahlangu, a domestic worker who fell into a swimming pool and drowned. CREATED FOR positive activism © 2025 UDWOSA Home About Impact Media Contact Close

1 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Willem Snyman Cleaning up rivers & reviving dead waters Willem Snyman at the river cleanup in Thembisa, Gauteng The banks of the river that flows past Tembisa Mall are covered in styrofoam containers that have been hauled out of catchment nets by Willem Snyman’s team of river cleaners. Last week they took out 250 tonnes of plastic, an operation that cost them R10,000 from their small budget. The traps are cleaned manually so the money is used for wages of a group of men from Tswelopele. Willem, who is an artist, passionately believes that clean water is vital to the survival of South Africa and that we can still fix the issues by educating people upstream and to get involved with the cleanup process. He cleans the waterways using nets made buoyant with the very styrofoam they are catching. At the same time, he is developing a system of floating gardens in boats that are also made from netting and styrofoam. They are filled with local varietals of aquatic plants, home to microorganisms that are able break down contaminants in the water. The river is now devoid of life, so it can no longer break down foreign organisms without help. “If one can stop it in the worst place, then there is hope.” Several years ago his home was burnt down after he objected to a development project. He had evidence that it was arson, but had to drop the charges when the neighbour filed for bankruptcy. Willem moved to a new home close to the Hennops River. But, soon after, pollution started floating down the river, and it was killing the local wildlife. In an attempt to save the animals' natural habitat and the local communities' water sources, he organised cleanups. This operation has expanded to Kaalfontein and Tembisa. Over the last five years, Willem has been working with no funding but for his own passion. One of the biggest problems now is what to do with all of the styrofoam that is pulled out of the river amounting to 250 tonnes. He wants to find someone with a pyrolyser who can turn the styrofoam into biofuel. The long-term solution is to stop further pollution of the river. But in the meantime, it takes people like Willem Snyman, working diligently to keep the water clean, for the rest of us to carry on as normal. < Previous Item Next Item >

20 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Gideon Swart The cafe that's fighting human traficking Gideon Swart at the Wild Cactus Cafe, Pretoria From a small cafe on the corner of a nondescript road in the suburbs of Pretoria, Gideon Swart has created a space for kindness, love and community to thrive, and it all started with a coffee truck and a mission to connect with people. As I leave the Wild Cactus Café after the interview, Samuel, the car guard from next door, greets us. “Are you hungry?” asks Gideon. “Come inside and have something to eat.” This is the generosity that he seems to extend to everyone he meets. By his own admission, it is not the greatest way to run a profitable business but Gideon isn’t driven by money. Yes, he needs to keep the lights on and the rent paid but his motivation is in changing the people around him and creating a space where that change to happen. “We started the coffee shop as a beacon of hope, where everyone belongs, from the CEO to the homeless guy.” In 2019 Gideon and his wife, Olivia, gave up their jobs as pastors and opened a coffee truck which, over the years, has grown into a formal café. From the very beginning, they committed to feeding the homeless people who would pass by, offering them coffee and a chocolate croissant, no questions asked. Over time, Gideon got to know the regulars, engaging with them and finding ways to help them off the streets and, if necessary, into rehab. His actions became an example to all of his customers and, before long, a culture of generosity started to emerge within the coffee shop. It became normal for customers to pay for the food and drinks of others who may not have the means. From this arose a pay-it-forward system where customers can add extra coffees to their bill which the baristas then use, at their discretion, to give out when someone is in need. Starting in 2014 Gideon has committed himself to raising awareness of human trafficking, using the café as a base for his Actionism. After learning about the true scale of the issue, and how it operates in close proximity to where he lives, he discovered the NPO Brave To Love which provides medical, psychological and emotional support to victims of sex trafficking. In collaboration with Brave To Love, he has been working on ways to raise awareness of the issues. The coffee shop was designated as a donation centre and customers were asked to drop off blankets, toys and bedding to help with the various programmes of rehabilitation. Gideon is also raising awareness through running. On the 30th of September, he will be competing in the gruelling 75km Maxi Race in the Cape Winelands. Throughout his training, he has been making a noise on social media and through radio interviews. At the race itself, he will be raising money and drawing attention to South Africa's sex trafficking issues. If you are not one of the 2000 ultra runners heading to the Cape for the Maxi Race and you want to know more, pop in for a coffee at the Wild Cactus Café. If you do, before you leave, don’t forget to buy someone else a coffee and a chocolate croissant. < Previous Item Next Item >