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 >

64 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Siyabonga Ndlangamandla Hydroponic vegetables for the community Siyabonga Ndlangamandla in his hydroponic garden There is a very clear division between the work that Siyabonga does for-profit and the work he does for the community. The two, however, are inseparable. As with most Actionists, there is a clear understanding that if he did not feed himself, then he could not help to feed anyone else. For-profit Siyabonga grows vegetables in a hydroponic garden. He feeds himself and sells the organic produce commercially through Food Lovers Market. For the community, Siyabonga runs a community garden that aims to provide the people of Bez Valley, Johannesburg with an ongoing source of fresh vegetables. In a community where there are often 20 people living in a single household, it is a generous and valuable venture. Not only that but through the garden, he aims to up-skill and enable people from the community to grow their own food at home. “We grew up having enough and it was always important to share. We cannot just be eating whilst someone else, next to you, goes without.” Siyabonga was raised on his grandfather’s farm where, as children, they had to work in the fields. Even though he hated it at the time, as he grew up he realised his passion for farming which came from his grandfather. At a young age, Siyabonga became passionate about food security and sustainability. It was ingrained in him to do something for others and, living in a poor area of Johannesburg, he saw the opportunity to help using the skills that he had. When I asked him what he needs in order to run his operations better he said nothing, but that he would like to donate time to teach at schools about food security. < Previous Item Next Item >

9 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Sibusiso Zulu Collecting sneakers for kids in need Sibusiso Zulu at Victoria Yards, Johannesburg In his own words, Sibusiso Zulu is “an ambassador for creativity and social change” and it all began with Sneakers 4 Change… In 2013 Sibu had one pair of sneakers. They had a hole in the side, so he used to stand with one foot behind the other to hide it from the other artists, musicians and skaters who he hung out with on the streets of Maboneng. As a plan to get new shoes for himself and his friends, Sibu approached a local club owner and proposed the idea of hosting an event where people could pay for entry by donating a pair of old sneakers. They received 38 pairs and, after taking a few for himself and his friends, he decided to clean them up and donate them to Twilight Children’s Home. “I felt like I had done something really amazing and the kids were really grateful.” After seeing the effect this had on the kids, his focus quickly shifted from hosting events, to collecting and redistributing used sneakers. He started emailing schools and asking them to encourage the parents to bring in any old sneakers that their kids had outgrown. From the first school, he received 1,000 pairs. “I had taken public transport to go and collect the shoes but when I got there and saw how many there were I had to go home, hire a bakkie and come back the next day.” Since 2013, Sibu estimates that he has redistributed around 12,000 pairs of sneakers to various beneficiaries. Over the last few years, Sibu has started various new ventures through his partnership with Makers Valley in Victoria Yards, Johannesburg. These include poetry sessions, youth expos, and his newest venture Swyft Lab - a clothing swap shop and customisation company that focuses on sustainability, environmental impact, and the circular economy. It’s a win-win situation, providing people with a fresh wardrobe whilst also using local art, design, and craft to prolong the life of clothing. < Previous Item Next Item >

63 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Ashby Mo Empowering Westbury youth through art Ashby Mo in his studio at Westbury Community Centre Empowering the youth of Westbury wasn’t on Ashby’s mind when he approached the youth centre to find studio space for his art. It just so happened that they offered him a space to work in return for his time volunteering to help teach kids how to read. It was initially a way of paying the rent but it quickly turned into so much more. Sometimes you have to go looking really hard for purpose and meaning, sometimes it finds you. Ashby is a devoted conceptual artist who creates masks and three-dimensional collages that explore issues to do with magic and sorcery. Coming from a community such as Westbury in Johannesburg, he knows how hard it can be to find mentors from within your community, especially in a field such as fine art. Westbury has suffered at the hands of increasing gang violence over the last few years and, even though it is a very small suburb in a very large city, its reputation is growing as one of the most dangerous parts of Johannesburg. Working out of the youth centre gave Ashby a chance to provide the artistic mentorship, that he could never find, to a new generation of upcoming artists in the community; and has solidified his passion for art as a vehicle for social change. Over the last 5 years, in return for his studio space, Ashby has been mentoring a group of local artists through a creative recovering program, providing them with tools and exercises to open up their creativity and use it as a means of self-expression. He is passionate about art and the important place that it holds within society, especially for the youth, and through his program, he hopes to empower the kids from Westbury to go out and confidently pursue their dreams. Alongside his artistic courses, he also runs the reading program and community garden at the youth centre. Find Ashby on Instagram @stdiosba and learn more about the Westbury Youth Centre on their website. < Previous Item Next Item >

73 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Matilda Tsitsi Fakasi A safe space for survivors in Masiphumelele Matilda Fakasi at her community garden in Masiphumelele Like so many other Actionists, Matilda found her calling through traumatic events in her past. Her values were developed and cemented through her own experiences, together with the motivation and determination that she needed to create lasting change. Matilda was a teacher in Zimbabwe. Passionate about education and children, she worked her way up to the position of deputy head of school. Through the politically turbulent years, she persevered whilst, at the same time, living with an abusive and violent husband who wanted children and would punish her for not falling pregnant. Her parents did not want her to divorce him and, even after waking up in the hospital after being beaten unconscious by the man who claimed to love her, they ordered her to return. But one day her husband announced that he was leaving her for a new woman who was pregnant by him, he offered Matilda the chance to stay on as their maid but when she refused, he dropped her at her parent's house and announced that they had separated. Matilda was left with nothing and, because the teacher's salary was so little, she left her beloved profession. It was only through the kindness of a friend, Linda, that she was saved from the deep depression that she had fallen into. Linda cleaned her house, washed her clothes and gave her $500 to help get back on her feet. 15 years later Matilda’s life is very different. She now lives in the small township of Masiphumelele outside Kommetjie in the Western Cape. She is remarried and runs an early childhood development centre and an NPO called InterVisionary. InterVisionary is all about empowering women, offering a safe space for GBV survivors to get counselling and support, and teaching them about self-sustaining farming practices. “A woman who is not financially independent cannot raise her voice against violence. In many cases, they stay because they depend on them.” Once the 2020 lockdown took place, the focus shifted to the immediate help that was needed at the time. Matilda quickly noticed that with so many people locked in their homes, unable to make money and unable to put food on the table, stress and anxiety were rising, along with incidents of GBV. So, from her home, and with the loving support of her husband, Matilda started a feeding scheme. On the first day, 40 people turned up and within a week they were feeding 400 people a day. Once lockdown was over, they called the community in for a dialogue, to see what was needed and where they could provide a valuable service. The main issue that arose was that of affordable childcare so that parents could get back to work. Before they knew it they were running an ECD centre with 33 children. The GBV program resumed and now includes a healing program, a GBV ambassadors training program and public awareness campaigns. Their focus is still on empowerment, monitoring and supporting a group of 103 women who are survivors of GBV. They aim to help them with seed funding and mentoring to start small sustainable businesses whilst also providing them with the counselling that they need on an ongoing basis. Matilda also runs a small farm just outside Masiphumelele where she grows vegetables to provide the children with a healthy meal and teaches survivors self-sustaining farming practices to implement at home. “Before I die I want to create a big community centre where women and children are safe, with a garden and crops here in Masiphumelele. I see the different parts of the GBV program; counselling rooms, empowerment activity rooms, a pre-school for the children of survivors, and a big hall for our workshops. I see, on the walls, the pictures and stories of the heroes that have played a part in the birth of this organisation.” All of this is achieved through the grit and determination of a woman motivated by the need to help others going through a situation that she knows all too well. As is often the case, funding is sparse and to keep the projects going Matilda is now looking for financial and logistical support. This story was created in partnership with Heinrich Böll Foundation < Previous Item Next Item >

54 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Irfaan Mangera Mobilising a new generation of leaders Irfaan Mangera outside the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation in Lenasia, Gauteng Irfaan doesn’t want to talk about change, he wants to see it happen. The biggest motivator for him is to visit communities and see the young people that he has worked with being empowered as activists. “In a hopeless situation where the country is currently, it’s these pockets of hope that I think really are what we must amplify and find ways to support.” Irfaan has already had a lifetime of experience as an Actionist. Growing up in Lenasia he started volunteering at the age of 13, distributing food hampers to vulnerable people in the neighbouring township of Thembelihle. At 16 he was elected to the executive of Crescents Cricket Club using it as a vehicle to encourage young people off the streets and unite the diverse community. In matric, he started to volunteer with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. This provided him with the insight, confidence and critical thinking that led him to join the Fees Must Fall protests in his first year at university. From this point Irfaan joined almost every organisation that he could, leaning into the camaraderie of the community that he had found at university, and the shared passion to create change. “Had I not had the prior experiences in the community to witness and feel inequality and poverty that was rampant here I don't think I would have made the connection to say ‘I have a duty towards the people of this country to do something about it’ … and you met at university level a bunch of people from all over who felt the same.” Irfaan is now the youth activism program manager at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation. The program is designed to build organised youth groups in communities, mobilising young people towards actual grassroots impact, and building a network of young people across the country who can engage with each other on what is happening in the country and how it can be solved. So far they have started 30 clubs in Gauteng in just over 3 years. Young people aged from 12-25 make up the club, whilst those from 25-35 play a mentorship role. Irfaan works with them to develop core leadership and membership, building democracy into a grassroots program. He then coordinates with the leaders, supporting them in dealing with the issues that they have identified. These have included, but are not limited to, GBV, climate change and sanitation. The youth program is also involved in building the National Youth Coalition of civil society organisations. A platform for young people to engage and create change at a national level. “We don’t believe we are speaking on behalf of youth. We want to engage young people and amplify their voices, their struggles and their issues. Which is why the model is about going into a community to support what is there and not dictate what they must be doing.” At 26 years old Irfaan knows that the youth have the power to create important changes in their own communities, a message that is worth passing on to future generations. < Previous Item Next Item >