The Squad

Tlaleng Mofokeng

Tlaleng is a medical doctor and an expert in Sexual and Reproductive health and Rights. (SRHR)

Her areas of impact have been in Clinical Services, Health Policy, Advocacy, Ethics of Care and content production for public health communication.

She has been recognised as 120under40 new generation leaders in Family Planning by the  Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was named one of the Top 200 Young South Africans by Mail and Guardian in 2016 and the most influential South African in Science and Technology 2017 and in 2018 in the category of Personal development by Avance Media.

She sits on the global advisory board for Sexual Health and Wellbeing and is published globally.

Lebohang Masango

Lebohang is a Master’s candidate in Social Anthropology at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. She is the author of a children’s book, Mpumi’s Magic Beads (David Philip Publishers, 2018), which is available in all of South Africa’s official languages.

She is currently one of the 25 young women from Southern Africa selected to be part of the inaugural Zanele Mbeki Fellowship in feminist leadership. As an Anthropologist, she lectures at North West University and she recently co-managed the Well Sexuality pilot study; a group of scholars and artists investigating notions of sexuality among the youth of Johannesburg.

Lebohang regularly writes for Rookie, an American website for teen girls, and has been commissioned by various publications to write about issues regarding literacy and feminism.

Lebo Ramafoko

Bold, loud, funny and creative. That is how those who know her would describe her. Her passion is infectious and she walks her talk. Fuelled by the possibility of building a new country, Soul City became her home where she served in different capacities to make a measurable improvement in the lives of South Africans.

Lebo has led the revisioning process of the Soul City Institute, taking a 20 year old well- known and dearly loved South African brand and setting it on its new path as a leading feminist voice. The new vision of the organisation speaks to Lebo’s core passion, improving the lives of young women and girls and making sure that they live in a world where their, race, class or gender does not determine the outcome of their lives. Lebo is a sought after speaker, a thought and opinion leader and a respected social justice activist. Lebo holds a BA Education degree, a Postgraduate Diploma in Ethics and a Mid -Career Masters in Public Administration.

Mmatshilo Motsei

Mmatshilo is an author, speaker and spiritual health coach with a keen interest in integrating indigenous wisdom with modern innovations. With an MA in Creative Writing from Rhodes University, she started her career as a nurse, midwife, psychology graduate, social science researcher and rural development facilitator.  

She is the Founding Director of Afrika Ikalafe, which means Afrika Heal Thyself, the work of the Retreat serves as an invitation for Africa to challenge the lie of its inferiority and powerlessness. In her role as a change agent, she has worked with women and men’s groups across Africa. Beyond Africa, she has worked with various institutions in USA, Australia, Canada, Europe and Nepal.

She is currently registered for her PhD with the University of South Africa, focusing on narratives of knowledge and lived experiences of indigenous midwives in post-apartheid South Africa

Andile Khuzwayo

Andile is the Marketing and Events Co-Ordinator of Soul City who believes in creating a life of complete fulfilment. Andile has a special expertise in sponsorship management, project management and event management.

Andile has a Bcomm Management Studies degree from the University of Cape Town, she has committed to studying further while pursuing her career, and has since completed courses in Project Management as well as Brand and Marketing Management, from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Vega School Johannesburg respectively.

When she was afforded the opportunity to be part of the Soul City family, she jumped at the opportunity and has since been using her marketing skills to amplify the voices of young women and girls.

Naledi Chirwa

Naledi is an artist and political activist who is to commence her Masters of study in Drama at the University of the Witwatersrand University in 2019. She has served in the national Economic Freedom Fighters Students Command leadership as the Transformation Officer and as the Spokesperson subsequently.

In the year 2012, the Economics Faculty of The University of Pretoria awarded her for her Community Involvement, Academic Excellence and Performance Arts and she has written and directed five plays and performed in numerous others.

She has been recognised by Mail and Guardian as one of the Top 200 Young South Africans, 2017 and was Power FM’s  #987Woman in 2017.

Dimakatso Khalo Mudau

Dimakatso is a social activist who advocates for the rights of young women and girls to be recognised and respected. Her background in educational publishing introduced her to the need of literacy amongst South African women.

She is a content coordinator at Soul City Institute for Social Justice and studying towards BA Degree majoring in Development Studies at the University of South Africa.

Her mission is to provide as many opportunities and platforms for disadvantaged young women and girls to share their stories and challenges through digital storytelling.

Ntombiyemfundo Mukwenha

Ntombiyemfundo is passionate about telling African stories through photography. She is the founder and art director at Jamili Afrika, an organisation that curates and shares African stories.

An industrial engineer by profession with diverse experiences; through 'Ntombiyemfundo Tours' she conducts mentorship drives to help educate students on opportunities for academic, career and entrepreneurial development.

She is an alumni of Global Changemakers and the Young African Leaders' Initiative.

Nobuhle Mtshali

Nobuhle is a creative communications specialist offering over 8 years experience in the communications, events, hospitality and marketing field.

She is C.E.O of the Serithi Campaign, a social enterprise whose core functions include, a facilitation programme that provides menstrual cups to underprivileged girls while providing workshops about menstrual health, gender roles for both girls and boys as well as advocating for sustainable sanitation systems within spaces of learning.

Nobuhle is passionate about the growth potential of the African continent as well as the role young women could play in its new trajectory.

Nyiko Shikwambane

Nyiko is an African feminist activist pursuing a Masters in African Literature at the University of Witwatersrand through the AW Mellon Foundation’s Governing Intimacies Project.   She received her Bachelor of Laws degree at the same institution prior to hosting a talk show called Law Focus on the campus/community radio station VOWFM 88.1. She spent her time interrogating lawmakers, government officials, activists and journalists on legal developments from a socio-political and economic point of view.

In 2013, she co-hosted Soul City’s Rise Talk Show for young girls on SABC 1. She is a love worker, social organizer and audience developer. She is the founder of Free Education Live and co-founder Female Fear Factory; social events that honour her love for art, human rights and her commitment to African feminism and the call for a decolonised quality education. 

Mo Matli

Mo is a filmmaker known for her incredible visual sensibilities displayed in her photography and films that tackles social class, gender equality and sexual orientation through her unflinching gaze on the human condition.

Drawing inspiration from people’s struggles and their resilient spirit, she is an activist and an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. Mo is a Mandela 100 icon amongst other recognitions and has had her work showcased across festivals across the world.

 Her ultimate goal is to alter people’s perspective and strives to be a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. 

Wanelisa Xaba

Wanelisa is a black radical feminist activist, decolonial writer and thinker and the founding member of the South African Young Feminist Activists. She started her activism at 15 years as a children rights activist. She engaged policy makers from the Department of Social Development regarding intervention for orphaned and vulnerable children.

She was a junior researcher, guest lecturer and tutor for African Gender Studies at the University of Cape Town. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences and an Honours Degree in African Studies. She pursued a Master’s Degree from the University of Cape Town and her research focused on undergraduate students experiences of Blackness and how black students navigate institutions of higher learning.

She documented LGBTIQ hate crimes in South Africa with Iranti-org and was recognised by Mail and Guardian as one of the Top 200 Young South Africans.

She currently sits on the board of directors at The Trauma Centre in Cape Town and is doing her PhD in Women’s and Gender Studies.

Thobile Mbhele

Thobile is a freelance photographer.

She is currently a final year journalism student at the Tshwane University of Technology and was recognised as the best performer in history in her Matric year.

She is a reporter at the Open Journal, an online publication established by students from the University of Johannesburg and is photographer of the 2018 MMX student newsroom.

Kgalalelo Kedijang

Kgali is an Art and Human Rights lawyer whose work focuses on the protection of art, innovation, and women's rights in Africa. She is an Admitted Attorney of the High Court of the Republic South Africa.

She is the Project Manager and content curator of Not Yet Uhuru, a feminist content hub and is a taskforce member of the Youth Forum at Inaugural Commission of Status of Women convened by UN Women.

She is the founder of The Creative Bar, a black woman owned and staffed legal consultancy specialising in the legal protection of indigenous and traditional knowledge, technology and art though intellectual property and a Young African Leaders Initiative Alumnus.

Her spirit responds to Entrepreneurship, Human Rights, Black Girls, Art and Education.