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 >

18 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Sandile Soxokashe Campaigning for peaceful protests Sandile Soxokashe in Bekkersdal In 2013 the town of Bekkersdal was overrun by ten months of protests about the lack of service delivery in the area. Over time the demonstrations turned to riots, government buildings were burned, people were hurt and valuable infrastructure was destroyed. Sandile Soxokashe was a 15-year-old boy at the time, desperate for some way to change the community, he became actively involved in the protests. In hindsight, he sees it as a valuable lesson in his journey to becoming an activist, a steep learning curve teaching him how things shouldn’t be done and leaving the community in a poorer place than they were before. Government buildings that were destroyed have been demolished and the land has been left disused and vacant. Residents now need to travel long distances to access the government facilities in other suburbs. Ten years later Sandile has started his own initiative called Be The Future Foundation. The point of the organisation is to educate the local community in safe, legal and effective forms of protest. He is passionate about change, but he knows that it will not come about if communities make the same mistakes as they did in Bekkersdal. He sees how they destroyed their own community and wants to provide a better path. Be The Future Foundation is working together with the NPO Right To Protest to produce comprehensive workshops that educate the community whilst also training their own volunteers to become mediators between the community and the government. They are working on zero budget, but they are so passionate that the three directors and ten volunteers meet twice a week to produce the course that will lead them in their quest to give a new, more effective, louder and more peaceful voice to unheard communities. In addition to the training workshops for protesting, not rioting, Be The Future Foundation is also developing a series of workshops for schools to teach kids about their constitutional rights, in order to develop them into more active citizens. They believe that the lethargy that has befallen people in many parts of South Africa is a direct result of not knowing how to make a change and of having clarity of what that change should be. Sandile is not ashamed of being part of the 2013 riots. It shaped him into who he is today. And who he is today is a man who cares deeply about his community and wants them to be able to have agency and a voice, and push for effective and long-lasting change. < Previous Item Next Item >

67 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Thato Thabang Mosoeu A safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community Thato Mosoeu at home in Bloemfontein Thato, also known as Thabang, is an activist for the sensitisation of the LGBTQIA+ community in Bloemfontein. She is passionate about providing a safe space for the community to talk about their experiences and, in turn, push for change by challenging local organisations to change how they interact with the LGBTQIA+ community. Through her experience working with various NGOs in the area, Thato realised the importance of going to the clinics and police stations to educate the people working there on how to treat the LGBTQIA+ community in a more sensitive and inclusive way. She also hosts support groups for the LGBTQIA+ community to talk about their experiences in order to gain a better understanding of what needs to be done. Thato was inspired by her own experience when a male police officer refused to refer to her as a woman. At the time, the police officer refused to listen to Thabang, simply telling her that she would always be a man. This 2018 encounter in the mall made her realise the important work that needed to be done to help create a safer and more accepting society for her community. < 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 >

The Actionists is an ongoing campaign to champion change-makers around South Africa who are working towards a more equal, kind and compassionate society. They are the on-the-ground problem solvers, community activists, climate campaigners, and human rights defenders who won’t stop working for the change they want to see in the world. They are the people that challenge the narrative that nothing is being done. The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close © Thom Pierce Studios 2025 Celebrating the unsung heroes of South Africa on-the-ground innovators creating positive change in their communities The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Celebrating the unsung heroes of South Africa on-the-ground innovators creating positive change in their communities Willem Snyman Cleaning up rivers & reviving dead waters Thulani Madondo Upskilling & empowering the youth of Kliptown Keke Malakele Uplifting kids through robotics & coding Colin Northmore Filling classrooms to tackle xenophobia Arnold Sibanda Saluting black male positivity Jarryd Watson Uplifting through inclusive dance Simon Mphela Taking mental health to the streets Jess Robus Mental wellness for kids and teens Sibusiso Zulu Collecting sneakers for kids in need Janet Simpkins Nursing rivers back to health Otsile Nkadimeng Mobilising youth around climate change Desmond D'Sa Battling air, water & land pollution Kekeletso Khena A petition to stop statutory rape Bridget Munnik Drama & performance for social change Hlobisile Bathabile Yende Paving the way for women who farm Natania Botha Environmental awareness through art Wayne Jean-Pierre Restoring freedom by clearing criminal records Sandile Soxokashe Campaigning for peaceful protests Jesse Naidoo & Tammy Greyling Recycling for the community Gideon Swart The cafe that's fighting human traficking Drama For Life Changing lives through performance activism Sharne Jacobs Creating a safe space for skater girls Nathi Mazibuko The security guard feeding the homeless Jack Msibi Sporting goals to unite the community Manti Maifadi Healing through reconnecting with nature BACK TO TOP OUR PARTNERS We partner with organisations who align with, and champion, The Actionists; inspiring and working towards a better South Africa together. PARTNER WITH US FILTER & SEARCH Filter by Sustainable Development Goals Select SDG Filter by Province Select Province Filter by Partner Select Partner

30 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Clerah Sethole Creating an inclusive curriculum for kids Clerah Sethole at her old school The night before her presentation to the funding panel, Clerah Sethole had no idea what she was going to pitch. It was a chance reminder from Facebook, of a post that she had written a year beforehand, that sparked an idea. She wrote her speech in 30 minutes and, the next day pitched her idea for “Exclusively Inclusive” to a group of potential funders put together by the Trevor Noah Foundation as the culmination of a four-week changemakers workshop. She received her first instalment of financial backing for the initiative the very next day. Exclusively Inclusive aims to provide a curriculum for children with ADHD and dyslexia that allows them to be better catered for as part of larger classes. Their holistic approach identifies young learners who need help and then trains the teachers in alternative teaching methods that can be used alongside the more traditional methods that do not work for all of the students. Not only does Clerah want to provide valuable resources to help young learners who are struggling, but she also wants to educate communities about learning difficulties which are often undiagnosed or not catered for. She cultivates a fully inclusive environment through ongoing dialogue between the parents, children, teachers and community. Implemented in government schools, the programme also aims to provide support to parents who are frustrated and don’t know what to do. Through education, caregivers develop a deeper understanding of learning difficulties in general as well as the particular challenges their children face. They are encouraged to pass on this information to other parents. Using a mix of training workshops and curriculum literature Clerah hopes to be able to roll out the programme to schools all around the community of Mohlakeng in Gauteng. Digging a little deeper into her own motivation, Clerah identifies her need to help others as a consequence of her childhood, growing up as an only child around domestic violence and crime. Most of her friends had siblings to talk to who helped them navigate the complicated world. Clerah didn’t have that inbuilt support system, so she understands how it feels to not know where to turn when life is tough. “I love working with children and it breaks my heart to see a child struggling with something that they really want to learn. I want to see every child enjoy going to school and having someone who understands them.” A young child experiencing learning difficulties often feels confused, misunderstood, anxious and excluded. Falling behind in class, with no hope of catching up, could cause even the most strong-willed child to give up. For someone in this position, practical assistance and compassion may not only help them pass, but it could also restore their faith in themselves. < Previous Item Next Item >

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

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 >

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 >

43 The Actionists About Partner With Us Contact Us FAQ ____________________ Thom Pierce Studios Menu Close Diana Musara Upcycling plastic for sustainable schools Diana Musara in the classroom made of eco-bricks, Diepsloot There are three things that Diana Musara is passionate about; entrepreneurship, education and the environment. All of these passions now intersect through her NPO, Earthly Touch Foundation, but they started with a school made out of bottles. Whilst volunteering as a director for Khensani’s collection, an after-school program in Diepsloot that supports struggling students with extra lessons, Diana took it upon herself to build a new classroom for the growing number of learners, with over 70 in one room. At a women's network event hosted by Hirshes, Diana was introduced to the concept of eco-bricks. She realised that this simple idea would provide her with a cost-effective building material which also had environmental benefits. Eco-bricks are 2-litre soft drink bottles packed tightly with plastic, a well-insulated alternative to regular bricks. They also provide an upcycling solution for single-use plastics. The school receives large donations of clothes, so Diana put her business background to work and created an exchange program whereby people from the surrounding community could make eco-bricks from plastic they had collected and exchange the bottles for clothes. Diepsloot has a plastic problem. Discarded litter is strewn everywhere, clogging the water systems and piled on the side of the roads. By offering clothes in exchange for plastic trash, Diana was helping to clean up the neighbourhood whilst also providing an opportunity to anyone who wanted to get involved. So far they have received around 5,000 eco-bricks through the exchange program. “I want to do something that can add value and change people’s lives.” The school made out of bottles provides an environmentally friendly structure that is well-insulated and an innovative solution for plastic waste that is not being collected by the municipality. The labour brings much-needed work to an area that is struggling for jobs, and the building provides a valuable after-school facility for kids in the area. With the threat of global warming and carbon emission, the new eco-brick school will contribute to the avoidance of +- 50 tons of carbon into our environment as a result of repurposed plastic bottles, the use of solar, and limiting the use of cement for construction. That’s quite a lot of value through one relatively simple idea. Through the Earthly Touch Foundation, Diana wants to take the idea even further by mentoring construction students in eco-brick building and training them in how to run a business. Find out more at https://www.earthlytouchfoundation.com < Previous Item Next Item >