We Are Who We’ve Been Waiting For: Nomsa Mazwai on Courage, Community and Change

We Are Who We’ve Been Waiting For: Nomsa Mazwai on Courage, Community and Change

In this episode, we talk to Nomsa Mazwai, an economist, musician, social entrepreneur and Fulbright scholar whose work sits at the intersection of community development, women's safety and creative expression. From pioneering Soweto Night Out – an innovative tourism initiative that creates safer public spaces while generating local economic opportunities – to developing bold new social enterprise ideas and recording music inspired by her own journey of resilience, Nomsa combines intellectual rigour with a deep commitment to service. In this candid conversation, she reflects on entrepreneurship, unemployment, faith, mental health, and the determination required to keep building solutions in the face of seemingly impossible challenges.

Noelene Kotschan: CEO & Founder of PinkDrive — Taking Early Detection to Every Corner of South Africa

In this episode, we talk to Noelene Kotschan, the inspirational founder of PinkDrive NPC, a health NGO she launched in 2009 on the belief that “early detection will help prolong a life.” Under Noelene’s leadership, PinkDrive has become a lifeline for communities across South Africa, delivering free breast, cervical, prostate, and testicular cancer screening and education to people in areas where healthcare services seldom reach.

Carol Dyanti: Growing Hope in Broken Places

In this episode, we talk to Carol Dyantyi, a former student activist from the 1976 Soweto uprisings and founder of Ikageng Itireleng AIDS Ministry. Her journey from the struggle years to grassroots leadership is a story of resilience, service, and the belief that hope can take root anywhere. Now based in Ezimbuzini, on the outskirts of Soweto, Carol has transformed a once-neglected dumping site into a thriving community hub. Together, we explore her guiding philosophy that “even in broken communities, life can grow again.”

Ferial Adams: Championing Citizen Science for Clean Water

What happens when communities stop waiting for solutions and start collecting the evidence themselves? In this episode of This Way Up, environmental justice activist Ferial Adams reveals how citizen science is helping South Africans challenge water insecurity, expose failures, and drive real change. From testing water quality to winning practical victories such as new water tanks, Ferial shares powerful stories of grassroots action, resilience, and the determination to ensure that every community has a voice in the fight for safe water.

From Despair to Action: Chantal's River Rescue

In this episode, we talk to Chantal Nativel, who is helping transform the fight against river pollution in Johannesburg into something hopeful, practical and deeply community-driven. Motivated by her love of nature and concern for the environment, she launched a grassroots river cleanup initiative that brought together local residents, volunteers and businesses around a shared purpose. What began on International Rivers Day quickly grew into something far bigger than a once-off cleanup. By focusing on collaboration, long-term thinking and community involvement, Chantal is helping build a movement around the restoration of Johannesburg’s rivers. Alongside environmental groups, experts and ordinary citizens, she is showing how collective action can reconnect people to the natural spaces running through the city. The work is demanding, but the energy around it is contagious. Chantal’s story is a reminder that change does not always begin with large institutions or massive budgets. Sometimes it begins with one person deciding to care publicly and consistently enough that others start showing up too.