Changemaker: Zandi Ndlovu

Time Out

a day ago

For many children growing up in under-resourced communities in South Africa, the ocean is something they've never experienced, let alone imagined as a career path.
Zandi Ndlovu is changing that. A filmmaker, conservationist, and founder of numerous projects that bring ocean literacy into township spaces, she is opening doors, both literal and figurative, so that young people can see themselves in marine science, environmental leadership, and ocean-based innovation.
From launching an Ocean Hub in Philippi to representing Africa at global climate gatherings, Zandi is determined to make conservation accessible and inclusive. She's proof that ocean stewardship isn't only for those who live near the shore - it's for everyone.
This Women's Month, we're showcasing female changemakers using their power for good. In this Q&A we celebrate Ndlovi as a changemaker shaping the tides of opportunity for the next generation.
Time Out: It's Women's Month, and you're involved in so many incredible initiatives. What's the most important message you want to put forward right now?
Zandi Ndlovu: I'm a big believer that women in leadership can shape the world differently, often leading with grace.
Globally, from wars to local challenges, women bring a different approach to problem-solving. Women's Month is a reminder of the world we could live in if women had equitable access to power.
You've had a busy year. Can you share a few of your most significant projects you've been working on?
Zandi Ndlovu: Definitively, it's finally opening our Ocean Hub in Philippi, it's been a three-year dream.
Usually, we take learners from township communities to the ocean for a day, but then the sea still 'lives' out there. The Ocean Hub brings the ocean into the heart of the community as a space for learning, innovation, and connection. It's a space for building camaraderie, and we're super excited about it. We're still going to build a deck and kit it out, aiming to have it as a cool spot for our young ones to hang out by September this year.
Second, I was invited to a TED gathering in Kenya, where 500 to 600 global leaders discussed climate matters.
Africa is most likely to be impacted by the effects of climate change, but we can also be the innovators creating solutions. That's exciting and powerful. That inspired me to move our work from one-off snorkel workshops to six-week programs in ocean literacy, innovation, and art for high school learners.
Literacy is important; it's how we protect the ocean. But opportunity in conservation is equally important, that's where innovation comes in.
And third, being part of Shark Week for the second year together with Dr Allison Townsend, and showing that Africa contributes equally to global conservation knowledge, especially on shark protection and innovation.
Story is a powerful tool for change, and I am committed to doing more work telling the stories that will connect us across the world.
What moment with young learners has stayed with you the most?
Zandi Ndlovu: I've been working with Polo South Africa and we had an opportunity to visit my first primary school, Khuthala Primary in Soweto. It was so moving for me to tell them that I may live around the world now, but I started in that chair like you in a world that you couldn't imagine. A nine-year-old asked me, 'How long did it take for you to realise your dream?'
You don't expect that from somebody so young, and we had incredible questions. I told her it takes your whole life and you're always moving toward it.
It reminded me why we do this work.
What would you say to young girls - or anyone - who feels like they don't fit in?
Zandi Ndlovu: There's a superpower in not fitting in. Only you know the world that looks different to the discomfort that you currently feel. Only you can imagine the world that feels right to you, and when you build it, you build it for all the outliers in one way, shape or form, and home becomes global.
What's one powerful shift you've seen in marine conservation recently?
Zandi Ndlovu: At this year's United Nations Oceans Conference in France, they opened up the conference in a different way. It's usually all suits and policies. But this year it opened with indigenous voices from Papua New Guinea to the Western Indian Ocean.
It was a moment of seeing science and indigenous knowledge working together, the idea that oral histories and community-led biodiversity protection are as crucial as policy.
When you're not working, where do you recharge?
Zandi Ndlovu: Windmill Beach is still a super favourite for diving, but Glencairn has my heart. I don't know if it's because the dolphins come past there almost every day, but I enjoy swimming there.
Also, to keep me grounded these days, I'm painting and reading. I'm doing more things off-screen to recharge. It allows me to regenerate in a different way.
And for anyone visiting Cape Town, go foraging with Roshana of Veld and Sea. It's the best way to connect with the ocean.
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A post shared by Zandi Ndhlovu | Freediver (@zandithemermaid)
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