Zandile Ndhlovu

South African social activist and freediving instructor

Zandile Ndhlovu
Born	Soweto, South Africa
Occupation	freediving instructor
Awards	100 Women (BBC) (2023)

Zandile Ndhlovu is a South African conservationist, social activist, and filmmaker who is the first black female freediving instructor from the country. She is the founder of the The Black Mermaid Foundation. In November 2023, Ndhlovu was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.^[1]

Biography

Ndhlovu was raised in the landlocked township of Soweto, which borders Johannesburg. She had never gone to a swimming pool or learned to swim as a young child until she was eleven years old and enrolled in a multiracial school. She was formerly a consultant with a focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion. Her love of the sea developed after she went to Bali, Indonesia and experienced snorkelling for the first time. While perusing Instagram, she came upon freediving and became certified as a scuba diving instructor.^[2] Ndlovu became the first black female diving instructor from South Africa and was affectionately called the Black Mermaid. In 2020 she founded the Black Mermaid Foundation. In the municipality of Langa, which is close to Cape Town, she began working with a community group. She taught them how to swim and snorkel while in the water, and also made them aware about the effects of plastic waste on wildlife.^[3]

Recognition

Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge Aspiring Film Maker Category Winner^[4]
Torchbearer Award 2021 (PADI)
Tedx Speaker^[5]
Jackson Wild Film Making Fellow 2021^[6]
Corona Brand Creator & Free Range Humans^[7]
Featured on the cover of MSAFIRI – Kenya Airways Inflight Magazine (October 2023)^[8]
BBC 100 Women, 2023^[9]

References

^ "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who dey on di list dis year? - BBC News Pidgin". News Pidgin. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ Sheppard, Emma (31 October 2023). "'We tell kids, this ocean is yours': how South Africa's 'Black Mermaid' inspires children to swim". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ Dold, Lauren (17 July 2023). "Zandi Ndhlovu: Tales of a black mermaid". Getaway Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "Zandile bags the aspiring category at the 2021 Adventure Film Challenge". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "The narrative around Black People and Water: Zandile Ndhlovu, TEDxCapeTown". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "2021 Summit Fellows". Jackson Wild. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "Free Range Humans // Episode 6: THE BLACK MERMAID (SA)". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "MSAFIRI – Kenya Airways Inflight Magazine". Pocket Mags. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ "BBC 100 Women Climate Pioneers". BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2023.