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Zandile Ndhlovu

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Zandile Ndhlovu
Born (1988-08-25) August 25, 1988 (age 36)
Soweto, South Africa
OccupationOcean Conservationist & Storyteller
Awards100 Women (BBC) (2023)

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

Biography

[edit]

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

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  • SA Book Awards 2024 - Children's Book Winner (Zandi's Song)
  • Glamour Women of The Year Nominee 2024 - Next Gen Award[4]
  • EcoLogic Awards 2024 - EcoAngel Award Recipient[5]
  • SAIMI Imbokodo in Maritime Awards 2024 - Marine Sport & Recreation Award Recipient[6]
  • Lewis Pugh Foundation Environmental Sports Champions list 2024[7]
  • Boat International Ocean Awards 2023 - Public Awareness Award[8]
  • Condé Nast Traveler Women who Travel Power List 2023[9]
  • Travel & Leisure Global Vision Awards 2023[10]
  • SMag Women of the Year in Sport 2022[11]
  • Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge Aspiring Film Maker Category Winner[12]
  • Torchbearer Award 2021 (PADI)
  • Tedx Speaker[13]
  • Jackson Wild Film Making Fellow 2021[14]
  • Corona Brand Creator & Free Range Humans[15]
  • Featured on the cover of MSAFIRI – Kenya Airways Inflight Magazine (October 2023)[16]
  • BBC 100 Women, 2023[17]

References

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  1. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who dey on di list dis year? - BBC News Pidgin". News Pidgin. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Dold, Lauren (17 July 2023). "Zandi Ndhlovu: Tales of a black mermaid". Getaway Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Empowering the Future: Meet the WOTY Next Generation Nominees". www.glamour.co.za. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  5. ^ Bantom, Kaylynne. "Eco heroes awarded for protecting South Africa's natural treasures". News24. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Celebrating women in the South African maritime industry". Maritime Review. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  7. ^ wpadminbyPS (26 July 2024). "Sports Champions". Lewis Pugh Foundation. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  8. ^ "A look back to the 2023 Ocean Awards winners". www.boatinternational.com. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  9. ^ Editors, C. N. T. (8 March 2023). "The Women Who Travel Power List 2023". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 4 January 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Meet 2 Women Championing Smart Solutions in Sustainable Building and Ocean Access". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  11. ^ "S Mag Women of the Year issue | Zandile Ndhlovu - The black mermaid". SowetanLIVE. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Zandile bags the aspiring category at the 2021 Adventure Film Challenge". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  13. ^ "The narrative around Black People and Water: Zandile Ndhlovu, TEDxCapeTown". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  14. ^ "2021 Summit Fellows". Jackson Wild. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Free Range Humans // Episode 6: THE BLACK MERMAID (SA)". YouTube. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  16. ^ "MSAFIRI – Kenya Airways Inflight Magazine". Pocket Mags. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  17. ^ "BBC 100 Women Climate Pioneers". BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
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