Download PDFSiphokazi Nkwandla (45) is from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. She is the first daughter of the late Patiswa Nkwandla, a single mother who passed on in 2008. She was raised by her grandmother.
She attended primary school at Aaron Gxadu and later completed her matric at Sophakama High School in the Eastern Cape. She has experience with a couple of organisations which were of great impact in developing her as a person and as an activist. One of the organisations that shaped her is Women Against Women Abuse (WAWA), which works to address the abuse of women and children. She was drawn by the way they raise their awareness and skill training. She also liked the fact that they encourage women to be in a leadership role in all aspects of their lives and that is something that she is passionate about.
She also helps other organisations to raise funds for whatever issues affect the working class. They do car washes and bread baking and so on. The challenge that affects her most is the treatment they get from the department of health (DOH), especially from nurses and doctors who are rude. The issue of lack of recognition by DOH is something that deeply affects her and drains her courage. Rape and sexual harassment are issues that she deals with and tries to address in her community. She wishes that people could be driven by love because she believes that love conquers all.
This article was submitted as part of the Imbila Yesu publication produced daily for the duration of the Winter School in 2022 (17-22 July 2022). It appeared in Edition No. 1, released on 22 July 2022.
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