61 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Gcina & Thato Cracking down on hunger in Alexandra Thato Mokwebo & Gcina Twala outside their soup kitchen in Alexandra Thato and Gcina met when he was making a documentary about her father; the legend of Alexandra Township, Linda Twala (also featured in The Actionists). As well as meeting his future wife, the encounter shifted his life perspective from the importance of making money to the importance of helping others. “Sometimes it’s not just about trying to be at the top and having expensive cars, It became more important to me to help other people” Together they started an organisation called Ntsika Ye Sizwesethu which runs a reading club and a soup kitchen in Alexandra. Their passion is for people and upliftment, a responsibility that was instilled in Gcina as a young child. From the age of seven, she would accompany her father in his outreach engagements, growing in confidence as she learned, to the point where he would make speak for him at public engagements. As the last-born child of a man who has dedicated himself to helping others, it’s not surprising that Gcina is passionate about creating positive change in her community and why her priority is to carry on her father’s legacy. The soup kitchen operates out of the GNF church (God Never Fails) every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. They serve food at 9 am and 2 pm, mostly to children from the surrounding schools, shack squatters and recyclers. They estimate that they feed around 700 people each day with the help of 5 volunteers from the church who generously help with the cooking. The food currently comes as a donation from Ladles of Love but resources are limited. They are always looking for further partnerships to provide them with more food donations as ideally, they want to expand the food kitchen to several other locations and provide a mobile feeding service to the elderly. To help expand their operations they are looking for partnerships and donations to help them with petrol, gas and cooking stoves. < Previous Item Next Item >

2 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Thulani Madondo Upskilling & empowering the youth of Kliptown Thulani Madondo at the KYP complex in Kliptown, Gauteng Sitting in Thulani Madondo’s bright office with the Kliptown Youth Program’s (KYP) 2025 strategic goals on the wall, it is easy to forget that the surrounds are one of the most impoverished and neglected areas in Gauteng. Madondo, 42, knows the circumstances of the 1402 children who benefit from the KYP’s programs all too well, as he was born only a few metres from the building’s front steps that he and a group of friends founded 17 years ago. He grew up in a single room shack with his mother and seven siblings. The modern building with a computer lab, numerous classrooms, a gender neutral bathroom, an indoor football pitch, and a large kitchen stands in stark contrast to the corrugated iron shacks and rubbish-strewn gravel paths surrounding it. “Our impact is really amazing,” he says with a beaming smile. “I lived here in this squatter camp, no electricity, no running water, everything communal. Today almost 99% of our team no longer live here in Kliptown. As we develop the organisation and empower the kids, we were also very fortunate to empower ourselves. “We have five of our alumni working full-time for the organisation now, with two of them in managerial positions. That is something to be extremely proud of,” Madondo says. “I always tell the kids: ‘the only thing you owe us is your success’.” Occupying a significant place in South Africa’s history, Kliptown became the first place where the historic Freedom Charter, that paved the way for South Africa’s democratic goals and ideals, was adopted in 1955. Despite the lofty aspirations of the Freedom Charter, residents of Kliptown were left behind and neglected for decades by the Apartheid regime and 30 years of democratic rule. The community lacks even the most basic of human needs such as schools, healthcare facilities, running water, electricity, and proper sanitation. Due to extreme poverty and little to no service delivery, the children of Kliptown are often the most vulnerable, with access to school uniforms, shoes, food and reading material inaccessible to many. Madondo and his friends saw these needs and came together almost two decades ago to do something about the grinding poverty and desperation that people in their community were faced with. Since then, KYP has developed and grown, catering to more children every year and providing more services to the entire community. These days children have access to tutoring, school fees and uniform support, a food program, online learning through computer labs with internet, a vocational program, performing arts, culture, and sport programs, a library, and psychosocial support, among other things. “All the work we do here, it is not for fame. It is to help people, especially children, to rise out of poverty. No one chose to be born in poverty, but how we respond to that and the challenges that come with poverty is the most important. There are so many opportunities for people, but it’s how they respond to them. That is what we are trying to do, to help people with the mindset to succeed in life,” Madondo says. But it is not just children who benefit from KYP and its many programs. Anyone from the community can come and use the computer labs to prepare for and apply for jobs, while there are dedicated staff on site to help people apply for social grants. “The best thing we can do as an organisation is to give full ownership of the centre to the community at large,” Madondo says, adding that residents of Kliptown were given job opportunities through a lottery system during the construction on the new premises. On a weekly basis, unemployed residents also get opportunities to earn some money by cleaning and helping maintain the site. Madondo says despite never going to university himself and giving up on his dream to become an accountant, he has championed more than R10-million as alumni of the program enrolled for tertiary education during the last 17 years. “Today some of our alumni are living lives way, way better than myself and I am okay with that,” he says. “That was always the dream. The more successful the children become, the better I become. I sleep very peacefully knowing very well how many people’s lives I’ve touched. And not myself, it’s a collective effort of course. I am constantly humbled, motivated, and inspired by our alumni.” < Previous Item Next Item >

23 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Nathi Mazibuko The security guard feeding the homeless Nathi Mazibuko in the Flames of Hope Office in Hillbrow, Gauteng The night-time fires that Nathi Mazibuko built during his shifts as a security guard were simply meant to ward off the piercing cold on winter nights, yet they drew others towards him, inadvertently sparking his journey as an Actionist. Working in downtown Johannesburg was a lonely experience until he invited others to sit with him around his fire. Over time, he formed relationships with street kids and sex workers, learning about their life experiences first-hand. From these relationships grew his passion to make a difference in people’s lives, ultimately planning to open an orphanage and drug rehabilitation centre in the future. Although his resources were limited, his ambitions weren’t. Armed with nothing but the encouragement of a friend, he decided to start. Nathi borrowed money from some friends, cooked a meal of rice and beef stew and took it to a nearby park to offer the homeless people who lived there a decent meal. This is how the Flames of Hope Foundation was started. “I was very happy, it was like a dream come true. Because it had always been in my heart that, one day, if I could get enough money, I want to do this.” The informal feeding scheme turned into a weekly event, cooking and serving food in the park, using his own money to fund the initiative. Soon he was offered a space at the Twilight Children’s Home in Hillbrow, Johannesburg where he now runs a feeding scheme every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3 p.m. Up to 500 people turn up for every meal. The children are served first and then the adults. After the meal, the children are invited to join an after-school programme which provides extra lessons to around 100 kids, six days a week, in partnership with Innovation of Excellence. For the first two years, Nathi paid for everything from his own salary but Flames of Hope now has financial support and food donations from various sponsors including The Angel Network SA, One Moment Foundation, Pauli's Food Company and Gift Of The Givers. “I’ve realised that if you do this community work and expect someone to say ‘thank you’, you will get disappointed. You do it for the sake of helping.” For both the feeding scheme and the after-school programme Nathi relies on the help of volunteers from the local community. His passion and enthusiasm for change is what keeps them coming back, day after day. His dedication is astonishing. Nathi still works a 12-hour night shift as a security guard from 6pm to 6am. He then runs the foundation during the day, leaving very little time for sleep. < Previous Item Next Item >

60 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Sun Mabengeza Taking permaculture to communities Sun Mabengeza in his permaculture garden Sun’s passion for permaculture comes from his love for the earth, growing food and sharing it with his neighbours. But mostly his passion is for teaching others that you can grow your own food with very little physical work, if you have the space and know what you are doing. He claims that he can teach you everything you need to know in one hour. It has always been in Sun’s blood to move around, to not get too attached to one place or specific items. He moves fluidly between Port Elizabeth, Polokwane and Johannesburg. This nomadic lifestyle complements his philosophy of shared spaces and the freedom to grow food wherever it can be produced. The journey into permaculture started in 2006 when Sun formed a guerrilla gardening crew called the Ambush Garden Collective. They would create wild gardens in dump sites and other forbidden spaces as an awareness campaign, highlighting the importance of greening spaces and living sustainably. As a member of the Bez Valley Agriculture Cooperative, Sun now runs a Permaculture garden called NDAWO ENTLE EZELE Uthando NaturalGrowing Heritage Site and Living Plants Museum. Here he grows a number of different edible wild plants, which he sells to the public from a small shop on site. But his real passion is education. From the garden, he hosts events, festivals and school visits with the intention of demonstrating how easy it is to live in a more sustainable, environmentally conscious manner. The gardens are a zero-waste environmental learning space that also provides the possibility for homeless people and job seekers to learn, grow, eat and create their own small businesses. < 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

The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close The Actionists was created in 2023 by Thom Pierce as a visual response to the narrative that nothing positive was happening in South Africa. Originally published in Daily Maverick, the campaign drew attention to the unsung heroes of South Africa who are working tirelessly to create a more fair and equal society for all. It quickly developed into a valuable collection of community champions around the country. The mission is to create an ongoing database of inspiring profiles and connect them with aligned organisations to publicly showcase and celebrate their valuable work. The Actionists is funded through partnerships with organisations who want to champion individuals who are creating a positive change across South Africa. THE ACTIONISTS PARTNER WITH US GET IN TOUCH

74 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Mphatheleni Makaulule Food security through indigenous knowledge Mphatheleni in her garden at home in Limpopo Mphatheleni was born in Venda to a father who was a traditional healer, community leader and farmer. He raised her with a deep indigenous spiritual knowledge which she has carried with her throughout her life. However, growing up in a modern, capitalist society, shaped by apartheid and colonialism she found herself distanced from her traditional values and by the time she finished her education, she was ready to reassess. Once Mphathi had finished university, she returned to her community with a deep sense of being lost in the modern world and around this time, she became very unwell and was diagnosed with pulmonary TB and admitted to the hospital for treatment. After a short period, she discharged herself from the hospital, deciding to live alone in the mountains for 2 years, eating all-natural food, breathing fresh air and drinking water from the streams. Although she continued to return to the hospital for regular check-ups, she took her health into her own hands, informed by traditional ways of living. Within the first year, she had regained her health through a combination of healthy living, modern medication and hospital visits. In 1998, together with the community, Mphathi started “Mupo,” a programme aimed at organising community elders, youth and children to remember the indigenous knowledge and value of Nature. The objective was to revive and practice indigenous systems and teach spirituality as the guidance of life. It was a space where people would visit with an open mind to engage. “You cannot disconnect from the indigenous ways, everything embraces that knowledge. For the VhaVendha people, everything we do is connected with spirituality and our ancestors' ways. “ Mphatheleni is passionate about inter-generational learning to revive indigenous knowledge and practices through community dialogues, workshops and research techniques. As part of her training, she travelled to the Amazon in 2006 and 2008 to learn about reviving indigenous knowledge. In Colombia, she learnt about eco-mapping, a way to represent a community's relationship to the world around them visually. Through community dialogues, a territory is drawn, from the largest to the smallest elements, the mountains to the stones and insects. The past, present and future are mapped out through memories and projections, and discussions are facilitated about what has been lost, and what needs to be regained for society to be healthy. The process includes traditional healing, commons (how people live together), the importance of animals, and climate change. It gives people an overview of who they are and where they live. Every community finds its unique vision of what it has lost and what it wants to bring back. “A lot of life has been lost in the mountains. Animals have been displaced, rivers are no longer flowing, and the habitat is no longer the same. When we do eco-mapping we can see climate change. We map the territory and the seasonal calendar. Rain has changed, and plants are not bearing fruit, the rivers are getting dry. We have lost who we are. At the centre of the huge circle of everything is the human being. “ Mupo is focussing on eco-mapping in different areas around Venda to teach the youth about the severe challenges of food and water security. Mphathi, who has been involved in sessions of eco-mapping in the Eastern Cape, Humansdorp and Jefrreysbay, believes that if they can connect the dots between the source of the water, the land, food and seed systems, they can start to develop a deep, meaningful connection to their environment, and work to protect it for future generations. The importance of eco-mapping cannot be underestimated. Particularly key for South Africans is that it allows communities to reclaim their histories, their connection to land and resources that were stolen through apartheid and colonialism. It facilitates the building of a collective shared narrative that is the basis of community power and contributes towards the ability to engage meaningfully with developers, the state, or other groups. Recently it has been used as a tool for challenging the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) and preparing communities in the Eastern Cape for meaningful engagement on issues relating to nuclear, gas, oil and H2. This story was created in partnership with Heinrich Böll Foundation < Previous Item Next Item >

65 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Yolanda Dyantyi Advocating for her right to education Yolanda Dyantyi in Johannesburg Yolanda’s story is quite well known. Whilst a second-year student she led the #RUReferenceList anti-rape culture protests at Rhodes University; and a year later was excluded from higher education for life. She did not get to finish her course, did not receive a degree and would not have been accepted into any other institute of higher education. In 2022 her right to higher education was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Appeals judgement when it set aside all the alleged charges instituted against her. They tried to silence her, tried to punish her for speaking out, yet she just got louder. “I aim to inspire young women with my journey, and to encourage passionate young people to find their voices…I want my story to inspire change. I want my story to contribute towards birthing new and positive realities for Africans.” Yolanda gets her fire from her Grandmother, the woman who raised her whilst working as a domestic worker in a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg. As a strong leader and preacher in the Zionist Church, she taught Yolanda to stand up for herself and gave her the confidence to know that she would always be supported. From a young age, Yolanda learned to speak up against injustice. Cut to 2016, and there she is fighting on the front lines at her own place of learning. As a survivor of rape at the university the previous year, she did what was in her blood and she led from the front, demanding accountability and justice for the numerous young women who had been victims of sexual assault at the University. “I should have been focusing on studying but I was leading a political struggle - I can’t separate the two, we weren’t safe.” From this experience, she realised the power of her story and the part that she has played in the important contribution of women activists in South Africa. And so she keeps up the fight, day in and day out, finding ways to disrupt the patriarchal violence that has been deeply sewn into the fabric of our society. She is currently an award-winning social entrepreneur building an African Feminist digital archive memorialising African women's work and their contribution towards social justice. Watch Yolanda’s Journey To Justice and follow her Instagram @archiveamabali_wethu < Previous Item Next Item >

22 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Sharne Jacobs Creating a safe space for skater girls Sharne Jacobs at the skate park, Gauteng Sharne Jacobs is worried that the world will always stereotype skateboarders as a nuisance. It felt for a long time that the sport that changed her life would never be taken seriously in South Africa. That was until it was accepted into the Olympic Games and the public perception slowly started to shift. At the age of 13, Sharne would go to skate parks to diligently practice a skill that she enjoyed, and that gave her an escape from the rest of the world. She was the only girl at the park and, after a while, the intimidation that she felt from the boys became too much and forced her away. It wasn’t until her mid-twenties, that a friend invited her to try again and she rediscovered her passion for skateboarding. Even though thirteen years had passed, it still didn’t feel like a place for women and girls to thrive. Sharne realised the need for a safe space for girls to be able to learn together and committed herself to creating just that. But skateboarding is a curious discipline that, rather than being lauded as a highly skilled craft, is all too often dismissed as a playground for bored teenagers. The scrapes and slides of wood on concrete, the rattling of wheels, the ugly concrete arena, the tattoos, the wardrobe, and the graffiti that adorns the walls of many skate parks, all combine to give skating a bad reputation. But, there are a variety of valuable life skills that can be learned at the skate park. Skateboarding is essentially a solo endeavour, the mastery of which can only be achieved through diligent practice, commitment and risk-taking. It teaches the learner to get back up and try again, even when it hurts. Patience, persistence and confidence are needed to slowly perfect technical skills, combining them into a series of finely crafted tricks. It is also a highly social sport. The skate parks are home to many, a place for people to come together and learn, help, compete and share their experiences. It can be therapy for some, and a healthy outlet of energy for others. “People have come from broken homes and places where they are not exposed to good energy and learning. Skating teaches you life lessons, it can be wholesome.” These are all the aspects of skateboarding that Sharne loves, and all the positive experiences that she wants to pass on to other girls. So in 2015, she started Girl Skate South Africa, a safe space for girls to come and learn skateboarding whilst at the same time finding a community of like-minded people who want to practice a new skill, surrounded by support and encourangement. Up to 60 girls come to a session and they are now hosting lessons and events around the country. “I just want to see people get the same enjoyment as I have. And do their best. It has helped me with my confidence and grown me as a person. I was super shy and unapproachable before.” Sharne is also working to bring skating to other communities that could benefit from the experience of learning new skills. Together with Rare Bear and Beauty from Ashes she has built a small skate park at a community centre in the informal settlement of Kya Sands where poverty and unemployment have contributed heavily towards the disempowerment of the youth. The skate park provides them with a new focus and an empowering skill that also deepens a sense of hope that there is more out in the world for them. It may take a while for skateboarding to shake off its bad reputation but, in the meantime, Sharne is giving young girls hope, confidence, and a new set of skills. That doesn’t sound like too much of a nuisance. < Previous Item Next Item >

13 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Kekeletso Khena A petition to stop statutory rape Kekeletso Khena at home Kekeletso Khena is deliberate about everything that she does. Every interaction and every gesture seems to be rooted in this question: “Is this a responsible and positive action for the people around me?” Kekeletso is a co-owner of the the Scalp Clinic & Spa in Randfontein where she mentors and trains other women who want to one day run their own business. Her focus is to encourage and upskill them and then to support them in the early stages of their new venture. From the spar, she also sells her own range of beauty products that use locally sourced ingredients, uplifting local communities by encouraging them to grow and sell the products that she needs. Through every step of the process, she is thinking about the people who are affected and how she can add value to their lives whilst also creating a high-end, saleable product. But this is not why I am here to talk with Kekeletso. I am here to talk about her petition to hold professional workers legally accountable for reporting incidents of statutory rape. In August 2023 she noticed a surge of posts on social media about young girls getting pregnant in South Africa. There was outrage over the story of a 10-year-old in KZN followed by heated discussions and passionate comments, but it felt to her like nothing was actually being done to address the issue. “We are a country of outrage. We see something and are outraged for five minutes and nothing gets done about it.” As a childhood rape survivor herself, Kekeletso decided that she could not sit on the sidelines and watch. She needed to raise her voice, create awareness and challenge the state to do something about it. She recognised that teenage pregnancy is usually made the problem of the girl and that they would often be blamed for allowing the crime to happen. Kekeletso passionately believes that this attitude needs to change and that, instead, we need to deal with the adults who are sexualising, abusing and raping children. It is also of major concern for her that the health professionals who are the most likely to identify when a child has been raped are under no legal obligation to do anything about it. If anything, the stigma and complexity of the issue make it easier for them to turn a blind eye. As the first step in her campaign, Kekeletso has taken to Change.org to start a petition. Not because she thinks that a petition will, on its own, bring about the change that she wants to see, but because it will make her campaign more official, raise awareness and build a strong following. “It has allowed what I care about to not be about me. I have about 7000 people who agree with what I am saying. When I call the Minister of Health I can do so as a concerned group, but if I go as myself it has no impact. It helps to give power and a voice to an issue.” Kekeletso wants the Department of Health to make pregnancies of a minor a notifiable incident. She believes that it should be the obligation of every healthcare professional, from the doctor to the doula, to report and that they should be held legally accountable for doing so. The online petition provides the foundation for Kekeletso to push for a safer society for every girl. It is all part of her mission to look after everyone around her, a value that her father instilled in her from an early age. “I come from the school of thought that says we are for each other. I am born to be of service which means we need to show up fully every day.“ < Previous Item Next Item >