28 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Njabulo Zulu The teen who turns bullies into buddies Njabulo Zulu at her school Njabulo Zulu was bullied at primary school. The dark complexion of her skin and the texture of her hair made her prey for the other kids who were looking for an easy target. One day three boys came to class, two of them held her down while the other grabbed her hair, to “check if it was real”. Little did they know that their cruelty would light a fire in her that changed the conversation around bullying for hundreds of school kids in the township of Soshanguve. At 10 years old Njabulo decided that she wanted to deliver an anti-bullying message to her whole school through a presentation at morning assembly. Her message was simple, “Don’t be a bully, be a buddy”, and her short but direct speech immediately changed the way that other kids saw her. Seven years later, Njabulo has delivered countless motivational speeches at schools around Soshanguve and beyond. Over the years, she has broadened her message to include teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and social media addiction, but her matter-of-fact approach remains the same. After the first speech, kids started to approach her, in person and over social media to tell her about their problems and ask her for advice. She has always been keen to help and she felt a responsibility towards every one of them, so she answered their messages; listening, giving support and advice. Through a close relationship with her mum and a growing network of professional contacts, she manages her responsibility to the people who contact her, referring them to professionals when needed. “I’m so in love with helping people, talking to people, giving advice and solutions. I love counselling people.” Over the years the number of people who approach Njabulo has risen dramatically. She estimates that through Facebook she now receives around 70 messages a week from people asking for help. And it’s not just kids. Adults get in touch with her to unload about their marriages and life problems, and parents contact her to ask for advice about connecting with their children, something that Njabulo feels unqualified to deal with, but responsible to support. “My faith that I have in being able to change just one person's life - that gives me hope to do my work. ” Njabulo is not an attention-seeking teenager, she is softly spoken and thoughtful. But she does recognise that she has a gift for motivating people. Through a self-produced TV show called “Trusted Talks”, she has taken her talents to the next level. In its third season, and broadcast on Soweto TV, the talk show deals with mental health and the daily challenges faced by teenagers. This year Njabulo is also running a campaign to promote the equal treatment of the deaf community. To do this she is learning Sign Language and hosting a public performance that will showcase the talents of deaf people in the community. You may be wondering if all of this is leading to a life of professional counselling. Quite possibly yes, but Njabulo has varied interests and will pursue multiple dreams: Whilst studying psychology and Sign Language at university, she also wants to train to be a food analyst and pastry chef. < 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 >

56 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Tshweu Mosedi Rallying youth towards health & hope Tshweu Mosedi at University of Pretoria “Passion fatigue” is a phrase that Tshweu uses when he talks about his commitment to youth development in his community. Every so often he has to take some time off, but he always comes back stronger. It’s not surprising considering he spends almost all of his waking hours helping the youth of Katlehong township to deal with health issues, both physical and mental, to promote positive self-acceptance and a brighter outlook for the future. Tshweu’s motivation comes from his experiences growing up in a township which provides little in the way of support or activities for the youth. This situation has seen the younger members of the community battle with issues relating to purpose, drive and responsibility. “As someone who is passionate about young people, I felt the urge to create platforms for other young people and the leader in me came into play where I felt responsible. If nothing is happening and no one is doing anything then I should be the one who is responsible for creating opportunities for other young people.” As someone who is passionate about young people, I felt the urge to create platforms for other young people and the leader in me came into play where I felt responsible. If nothing is happening and no one is doing anything then I should be the one who is responsible for creating opportunities for other young people. “Even if I don't get paid for anything, as long as I can sleep peacefully at night then I just do it. I am a father now and I would love to be paid for everything I do but when I sit and watch things happening, people suffering and the quality of life deteriorating in my community, I feel like it is on me to do something.” Tshweu is also an actor and writer who has worked in community theatre for twenty years, producing plays about xenophobia, crime, substance abuse and GBV. He is also currently working at the African Youth Development Fund as coordinator of their “Alternatives” program. He is also the deputy chairperson of the National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Coalition, the chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign branch in Katlehong, and the provincial coordinator of the South African Tobacco Youth Free Forum. With all this on his plate, we can probably forgive him a little passion fatigue once in a while. You can learn more about Tshweu and his youth work through his YouTube channel @whizzymediaSA < Previous Item Next Item >

72 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Lindi Nzwane Showcasing renewable energy in the community Lindi Nzwane at her vegetable garden in Evaton West Lindi is a 49-year-old mother of two boys. She is also a farmer, climate activist, campaigner and community builder. She has dedicated her life to environmental action, so much so that she has even opened up her home in Evaton West as a show home to promote socially owned renewable energy. It all started in 2009 when Lindi was recruited into the Young Agriculture Ambassadors program. There was little in the way of work to go around and she realised that she could no longer sit back and do nothing. She needed to support herself and her family so she turned to farming as a means to put food on the table. In those early years, she met Earth Life Africa who were empowering and educating people on climate change and environmental issues. “As farmers, we saw a decrease in our produce, unusual seasons, unusual rainfall and our crops weren’t doing well. We thought it was the end of the world. Earth Life Africa taught us about climate change, how it affects us as farmers, and the changing seasons for planting.” From Monday to Friday Lindi runs a community garden project on a plot of land at a primary school in Evaton, a 45-minute walk away from her home. From there she teaches other women in the community about organic farming practices through the growing of cabbages, green beans, onions, peppers and spinach to sell to the community. She hopes that the women will not only make some money to support themselves but also take the knowledge, teach others and start gardens of their own at home. Although the garden project itself is a full-time endeavour, Lindi is also very involved with two climate action groups; Grassroots for Climate Action and the Women Energy and Climate Change Forum. Through these groups, she engages in developments in the just transition, renewable energy, and food security; and relays them back to other concerned citizens in her community. “It isn’t just talking about energy but also the food that we eat. Informing small-scale farmers about how to plant their crops. On the ground, we are teaching people to farm organically, how to save seeds and how to manage pests using organic pesticides. We are also teaching people in the community about environmental conservation by not littering and burning tyres as it also contributes towards pollution. Instead, we teach them about recycling.” The Women’s Forum itself was formed by Earth Life Africa out of a need to educate women about the gendered effects of climate change, how it specifically affects women and how they can adapt to it. “It is important for women to get involved in all policy decisions, to have a voice and to be influential, as it is women who are most affected by climate change. We fetch the wood, collect the water, and farm the land. When people are sick it is women who take care of them. We need to be capacitated and empowered. We cannot have men deciding on women’s issues. The Woman’s Forum helps us to be part of it.“ Lindi’s life is now fully dedicated to climate activism, she sees the need for it in everything she does. Through another project called “the socially owned program”, facilitated by Earth Life Africa, she has opened her home up to the community, allowing them to charge their devices through her solar power. The idea is to bring people in to her home, teach them how it works and educate them about renewable energy and how to lobby the government for socially owned solutions. “My passion is to make a change through educating people and engaging communities. I am not an expert, I am just a community member who is trying to influence the decisions that are made for us. They shouldn’t make decisions on our behalf, we have voices, and we should be able to say what kind of energy sources and seeds we want.“ This story was created in partnership with Heinrich Böll Foundation < Previous Item Next Item >

71 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Life Esidimeni Justice through documenting a national crisis Christine Nxumalo, Harriet Perlman and Mark Lewis Faced with the bleak future of AI-generated imagery, film, music and almost any other creative endeavour that you can imagine, there is one discipline that should endure...stories of real human experiences. At this time we cannot generate a photograph of a person reflecting on their own life-changing ordeals, we cannot ask AI to dictate the story of a real memory, and we cannot digitally implant empathy into the people who connect with these stories. Not yet anyway. And so, in a world saturated with increasingly artificial content, real human stories are vital. In 2016 the Life Esidimeni psychiatric care hospital was closed down and over a thousand patients were moved to other facilities. Many of the new facilities were ill-equipped to deal with the patients and the process was rushed and dangerously mismanaged. The tragic result was that 144 people lost their lives and over 1,400 patients were exposed to human rights violations. As with any tragedy, it is not just the victims who are impacted. The families of many of the patients suffered horrific trauma when they could not locate their loved ones, having to travel long distances with the hope of finding them and bringing them to safety. Over the years since the tragedy, there have been several court hearings to deal with the impact, including an arbitration case in 2017 which brought about compensation for the families and a criminal inquest in 2021 which is still ongoing. But this story is not about the horrific events of 2016 and the ongoing injustice of reparations. This story is about the need for victims to be seen, represented and remembered in a world that so quickly moves to forget. In 2019 writer Harriet Perlman and photographer Mark Lewis with the support of Cassey Chambers from SADAG teamed up with Christine Nxumalo, who lost her sister in 2016 and was one of the members of the Life Esidimeni Family Committee to produce a series of stories that would maintain the momentum from the arbitration hearing and keep the stories of the victims in the minds of the public. They created a website in partnership with SADAG and SECTION27, that stands as an online memorial to the victims as well as an ongoing resource for information and assistance for those who need it. "I think what came out of it was that all of the families needed a way to express their anger and frustration. Mark and Harriet with Cassey Chambers as a trusted ally represented that group of people who understood their stories and as a result they felt safe and therefore validated what they had gone through." - Christine Nxumalo In creating the project they needed a vehicle to tell the stories of the lives that were lost and the relatives who were left behind. They asked each of the family members to choose a photograph of the loved one who had died and to reflect on the photograph itself, where and when it was taken and what it meant to them personally. "During the arbitration, many families were deeply hurt that they were accused of abandoning their loved ones. We travelled to people’s homes to interview them and take the portraits. It was important, for these stories to provide clarity of where the clinics were located and how far people, often with no resources, had to travel to visit their loved ones.." - Harriet Perlman Through this simple but effective storytelling technique they allowed the heartbreaking stories of loss, anger, betrayal and injustice to come through. "We were reminding people that this tragedy was about real lives lost. But another angle that we mustn’t forget is that Life Esidimeni is an extraordinary story about people fighting back, organising and being helped by civil society." - Mark Lewis This year a book will be published containing the stories that have been made so far, 40 are available on the website. But for Mark and Harriet, it still feels like there is work to be done. They want to find funding to tell the remaining stories, to honour those who died and to keep the events of 2016 in the minds of the South African public, as a way of ensuring that what happened at Life Esidimeni in 2016 can never happen again. This story was created in partnership with Heinrich Böll Foundation < Previous Item Next Item >

37 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Prudence Mabasa Protecting survivors from secondary trauma Prudence Mabasa in Boksburg It’s fair to say that Prudence Mabasa lives her life in service. From the day that she started to work, she has focused her efforts on helping other people. “I am passionate about victims, I need to be in a place where I can help” For three years Prudence volunteered at the Brakpan police station in the victim-friendly room. This is a space that is legally required for victims of sexual violence to feel safe and heard in the initial period after the crime is committed. In reality, it does not function unless there is a volunteer present. Prudence took it upon herself to be that person. At the same time, she was also volunteering as a community chaplain, a similar role, but one where she would be on call to visit those in the immediate aftermath of a crime or incident at home or at the scene of the crime. “My faith is my drive but it is not a parameter to who I help” Prudence’s world was thrown upside down after she was raped in 2020. Having cared for others for years she suddenly found herself the victim. A new level of understanding and determination grew out of her own horrific experience. She understood the emptiness, numbness helplessness and anger on a whole different level. It was also through her own experience that she understood the secondary trauma of reporting the incident and the fight for justice that then ensues. She could understand why so many people drop their cases after the effort it took just to get her rape kit tested, having initially been told that it was lost. Prudence now believes that engaging the youth is the solution. She is passionate about creating programs that deal with the behaviours and life circumstances that lead young men to turn to violence. She feels that the youth have been heavily let down by the government and that the lack of opportunities, jobs and education has pushed many of them towards a life of gangsterism and crime. “A true legend lives out their legacy while they are still here and teaches others to do the same. What better way to love than to serve without expectation of reward.” As well as a community chaplain Prudence is a youth minister, ACDP media liaison and community development coordinator. She may take on many roles but they all lead to a full life led in the service of others. < Previous Item Next Item >

14 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Bridget Munnik Drama & performance for social change Bridget Munnik outside the Soweto Theatre Bridget Munnik, also known as Aunty Bree, became a qualified counsellor 11 years ago. Growing up as an orphan, she knew what it felt like to have nobody to care for her, nobody to guide her, and nobody to congratulate her when she passed her Matric. Early on in life, she made a promise to herself that through her work she would help as many children as she could. Bridget’s ambition has taken her from working at the child welfare centre and volunteering at the family life centre to eventually become the centre manager of the Westbury Youth Centre, a communal space for young people in one of the most troubled suburbs of Johannesburg. It was through an audition poster at the youth centre that Bridget first discovered acting and found her most powerful voice. Westbury is a dangerous place, run by gangs and rife with substance abuse and violence, something that Aunty Bree knows all too well having escaped from a violent and abusive marriage herself. It is through the theatre that she now finds a way to provide a lifeline to those in the community who are too fearful to ask for help, and too scared to speak up. Bridget performs regular radio and stage productions about gender-based violence (GBV), substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and bullying. The intention is to let people know that they are not alone in their struggles with their loved ones. It is a way to open up conversations and to facilitate connections with people who can help. “The use of performance is so important because Westbury is so dangerous. You know there are things happening but you cannot reach out. What I show on stage is that you are not alone. I tell the neighbours and community members not to judge others, and I tell the victims that we see them. After the show, I have to come out of character and be a counsellor.“ When audiences watch Bridget’s performances there is often a moment where they recognise themselves in the characters. This connection provides a valuable way to give advice and support, without having to put anyone at risk. They are shown that there are resources available to help them and encouraged to go to the police or seek support from a social worker. “I also run a workshop with the parents who are hurting. In a dark room, I give everyone a candle. I start with me. I talk about my son who was on drugs. After my story, the next person lights a candle and tells their story about their kid who is on drugs. Brightness comes into the room. In the midst of the dark, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. People have the same stresses but we can support each other if we light the candles one by one.” In Westbury, where speaking up can be fatal, silence is also one of the biggest dangers. Through performance, Aunty Bree has found a powerful way to heal herself whilst also reaching the people who need her. Her voice is loud and her message is clear: “You are not alone and there is help if you need it.” < Previous Item Next Item >

81 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Ntsiki Khunju Economic empowerment for young women Ntsiki Khunju at the Outreach Foundation Community Centre in Hillbrow “I see myself as a conversation starter. I love having meaningful conversations that change lives, that get young people thinking about things we wouldn’t usually think about.” Ntsiki Khunju lives her life in the pursuit of change. Change in the way that young people see themselves and change in the way that the older generations see the youth. Although her activism starts at home, with the education of her young daughter, it manifests itself in all other areas of her life, from paid work to volunteering. Often the seeds of passion for advocacy are sown at home, through the parents, in the formative years of a child's life but Ntsiki was catalysed into action through a personal tragedy in her early 20’s. In 2016 her younger brother died at the age of 18, an event which she now sees as the turning point in her journey. “Initially I got into activism to blanket the pain I was feeling from my brother’s death. I got healing in that space and recognised that if the world wasn't as damaged he would probably still be with us.” This may be the event that lit a fire in Ntsiki but the world had been preparing her for a while. At high school, a friend guided her towards the Afrika Tikkun Uthando a child and youth development centre in Johannesburg where she joined an afterschool programme for girls called the Young Urban Women, run by ActionAid. Through this programme, she was exposed to discussions about feminism, advocacy and sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). “I was intrigued by the concept of SRHR to understand the challenges that young people faced at the time; accessing services, the stigma, the judgement and the prejudice. I wanted to pursue the continuation of that advocacy.” At the time the Young Urban Women programme was only for girls who were at high school, so leaving school meant leaving the programme. Seeing her potential, Afrika Tikkun offered Ntsiki a leadership position to study social auxiliary work which, in time, turned into a paid job at the centre. While doing this, Ntsiki was also studying child and youth care work, as well as taking up a volunteer position on the community advisory board at Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI). “Wits RHI is where I got exposed to the concept of STI management, clinical research into vaccines and HIV prevention. I realised that I could be a person who connects and bridges the community and the science.” It was around this time that ActionAid developed Young Urban Women to include a space for youth who had left school but wanted to continue with their advocacy; a space for active citizens to collaborate and develop. So in 2022, Ntsiki joined them again, this time as a writer, documenting the workshops, conversations and learnings of Young Urban Women and publishing them through Activate! Change Drivers, through their blog and social media. As a young woman with a passion for change, qualifications and professional experience in social work, child welfare, and sexual and reproductive health rights; Ntsiki has a unique overview of what is important for youth advocacy in South Africa. It is the current focus of the Young Urban Women that fascinates her the most. This year ActionAid have launched their feminist economy manifesto in order to produce more economically empowered active citizens, activists who would not be at the mercy of others for their survival but who, by virtue of supporting themselves, would be in a position to make informed decisions. “If you empower groups of young people you are creating an empowered community. A community that is economically empowered can be vocal about the importance of condom use because they are not having to beg for money anymore, they are not at the mercy of men.” It is this idea of economic empowerment that Ntsiki will take forward with her advocacy as it speaks to everything that she cares about through her work. This story was created in partnership with Action Aid < Previous Item Next Item >

70 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Phetole Raseropo A new wave of subsitence farmers Phetole Raseropo at Evergrow in Soweto In 2019 Phetole and his friend from university, Andile Gcaza, started Evergrow. Initially, it was intended to be a company that manufactured hydroponic farming equipment, but it soon developed into a successful business selling seedlings to farmers. Whilst getting the business going, Phetole worked in the Department of Agriculture consulting with farmers about their crop choices, advising them on how and when to get the best yields. This helped him understand which crops were the most marketable and the level of food insecurity in South Africa. In the Soweto suburb of Tladi, there are a number of derelict school buildings which have been taken over by subsistence farmers to grow vegetables. Half of the land occupied by Evergrow is dedicated to their seedling operation. But the rest is used for their outreach projects. Giving back to the community is important to Phetole, he grew up in the area and he knows the struggles that many people have to put healthy food on the table. “When I think that food actually comes easy on my table…why can’t I make it simple, and also efficient? Access to food is a human right.” As part of their activism, Evergrow invites people from the local community to farm small plots of land around their seedling operation. They give them seedlings to get them started and advise on how and when to plant. They are clear that once the farmers start to sell their produce, they must pay for the next batch of seedlings. They don’t do this to generate more business, the amount of profit from this would be minuscule, but because they want to encourage people to not rely on handouts. Between the plots and the commercial operation, they have developed a community garden as both an educational space and a cost-effective vegetable market. They want to clearly demonstrate that a sustainable, small garden is achievable in Soweto and what better way to do so than by doing it themselves? As we have seen time and time again, Actionism doesn’t have to be completely altruistic. It can be a small, generous gesture that exists alongside your successful business. < Previous Item Next Item >

31 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Coral Vinsen Six decades of fighting for human rights Coral Vinsen at home in Durban North At the age of 92, Coral Vinsen has recently completed the Faith Leaders Gender Transformation Programme, passing with distinction. As a long-time activist, she will use the knowledge she has gained to fight the scourge of Gender-Based Violence. This is just another step in her 64-year-long journey as an advocate for the rights of every person in South Africa. In 1956 when a major Polio outbreak occurred, Coral trained in the relatively new study of virology. Thereafter, she was put in charge of the first Virology Laboratory in Durban. When she married John Vinsen a year later, she had to resign as the SA state did not employ married women. As there was then no qualified staff to staff the lab, it was closed down and she was not able to work as a virologist again for another 23 years when a new lab was opened in 1980. Wishing to be part of building a nonracial society Coral and her husband joined the progressive party at its inception in 1959. When she was elected the Chair of the Women's group, Coral invited women from other racial groups to address her members. It was in meeting people of other races that she started to fully understand what was happening in the country. “Working with people beyond the white community makes a big difference. People need to reach out, not in a charity way, but in an equal way to treat other people with dignity. Having friends from other race groups has made a major difference in my life.” She was one of the founding members and treasurer of the Durban Detainees Support Committee (DESCOM) which met every Monday from its formation in 1981 until it was banned in 1988. At the time, the government had implemented legislation that meant they could detain people for up to 90 days and subsequently 180 days without trial. The committee held the government accountable for the way that people were treated whilst being detained, to expose if people were being tortured and to support and protect them once they were released from detention. At the dawn of democracy in 1991, Coral, together with a group of Durban anti-Apartheid activists, formed the Durban chapter of Amnesty International. They all wanted to make a tangible change within South Africa but needed the backing and structure of an external organisation that could train them and provide them with the tools they needed to be most effective in upholding human rights. Coral is one of the longest-serving members of Amnesty International in South Africa. 32 years after founding it, she is a co-chair of the Durban chapter, the only surviving adult chapter in South Africa. Over the decades, Coral's work has spanned many different disciplines, most notably in her passion for the promotion and support of art and human rights activism, something that was born out of the necessity to communicate at a time when books, films and news were being banned or heavily censored. These days food security is one of her most effective forms of activism, teaching people to grow their own food with the aim of promoting self-sustainable, responsible practices to combat the growing threat of hunger. “Activism takes many forms. There are little things that happen all the time. I teach people to grow vegetables organically, that’s also part of my human rights activism. There are lots of different aspects of the work that you can do that link to human rights.“ From anti-torture campaigns to teaching other people to grow their own healthy food, Coral is clear about the fact that Actionism can be many things, none necessarily more important than the other, but all contributing to making a better world for all regardless of race, gender, or faith. This story was created in partnership with Amnesty International South Africa. < Previous Item Next Item >