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| Zandile Ndhlovu |
Zandile Ndhlovu, a freediving instructor from South Africa, grew up in Soweto, a black township on the edge of Johannesburg, where no one ever dreamed of swimming in the ocean. She was not prepared for her first snorkelling trip in Bali at the age of 28. However, she found solace in the experience and took a diving course, becoming South Africa's first black female freediving instructor three years ago.
Ndhlovu's journey to become the first Black African Instructor in South Africa was not easy, as she faced various challenges, such as language barriers, wetsuit fittings, and questions about her hair. This increased her determination to bring about change and ensure that children of colour have access to the ocean.
The Black Mermaid Foundation was born, set up and part-funded by Ndhlovu from her base in Cape Town, on South Africa's south-west coast. The foundation organises ocean exploration programs for children and young people across the country, where they learn to swim, watch penguins play, and discover the African Sea Forest, a vast underwater ecosystem.
Ndhlovu has been named one of the BBC's 100 Women of 2023 and is now broadening the foundation's work to include "ocean hubs" across the country, which she describes as "ocean-inspired spaces with books and a place where kids can play and escape from every day." The first is being set up in the township of Langa, just over 10km (six miles) from central Cape Town.
Ndhlovu hopes this program will create a diverse group of "ocean guardians" and encourage black and brown African communities to be part of the climate change conversation. She warns that Africans cannot take the Western ideal of conservation and use it in Africa in the way it has always existed. She believes that elders in the black community can make a crucial contribution by using indigenous knowledge with Western knowledge, not one above the other, as both are important.
Despite her busy life, Ndhlovu always swims or dives at least two to three times a week, even if it's "15 minutes in between meetings". She loves the feeling of being held up by the large body of water and finds her voice, courage, and identity in this space.
Becoming South Africa's first black freediving instructor was a fantastic achievement for Ndhlovu, who realised it was not an individual achievement but a country's achievement. It talks about a country's ability to dream despite where one comes from. Her high-spirited happiness is contagious as she encourages us to care more deeply about preserving our oceans and ocean life.
