THANDILE CHINYAVANHU

Thandile Chinyavanhu is an environmental and social activist. She works as a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Africa. She writes about public health, energy access, climate mitigation and the intersectionality of climate change, particularly its impacts on women of colour.

LETHIWE NKOSI

Lethiwe Nkosi is Youth Capital’s Network Mobiliser. She is a storyteller, whose mission is to amplify African voices. Youth Capital is a youth-led advocacy campaign with the vision of a South Africa where every young person has the skill, opportunity, and support to get their first job. In 2020, Youth Capital launched an Action Plan to tackle youth unemployment. Grounded in young people’s lived experiences, the Action Plan connects young people’s realities of looking for work with data, research, and policies to form a shared strategy to #shiftgears on youth unemployment.

KWANELE GODFREY NGWENYA

Kwanele is a progressive climate justice activist with an interest in youth participation in policy processes and decision making. He is part of the Youth Policy Committee and one of the international coordinators who was a lead at formulating the first-ever South African Youth Climate Action Plan at the South African Institute of International Affairs. He is also a 2022 Young Researchers Symposium Finalist. Currently, he is the Interim Secretary of the Roodepoort Youth Club at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

VIRGINIA MAGWAZA WENJINJI

Virginia Magwaza Wenjinji is a feminist and human rights activist, founder of PFSAQ (Parents, Families & Friends of South African Queers) and deputy director in LGBTIQ+ desk in the office of the premier. 

ROCHÉ KESTER

Roché Kester has been working in the LGBTI Sector since 2006. She has worked at OUT LGBTI Well-being as a Hate Crime Manager and most recently she was the Political Advocacy Coordinator at Triangle Project. She is also involved in advocating for LGBTI rights in relation to policy change, accessibility to services and through media visibility.  She is currently the Director of LGBTIQ+ and Others in the Office of The Gauteng Premier.  She recently received a Feather Award in the category: Role Model of the Year (2021).

JADE MADINGWANE

I am a human rights defender. I am a Black Queer Feminist and this means that I have made a commitment to live a life of love and labour that works towards the dismantling of a white supremacist, capitalist, heteronormative Patriarchy.

DR. NTLOTLENG MABENA

Dr. Ntlotleng Mabena is a medical doctor who is a women’s health and rights advocate. Dr Mabena is a visionary, who has worked with various local NGOs in the field of HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health and LGBT advocacy. Her passion lies in working with marginalized women, and making sure that all women, especially those at the margins of society, have access to quality primary health care services. Her advocacy issues include rape care, abortion care, substance abuse and mental health, amongst others.