S2 Ep8: Our Journeys Are Not The Same

Courageous Conversations

In our 8th episode supported by the Ford Foundation, Jillian talks with Mandisa Shandu. Mandisa is the Co-Director and an Attorney at the activist organisation Ndifuna Ukwazi - Xhosa for Dare to Know. A graduate of the University of Cape Town law school, she heads Ndifuna Ukwazi’s law clinic. Through her work, Mandisa seeks to advance urban land justice in the city of Cape Town by providing legal support and advocacy to communities and social movements. From a middle class family, Mandisa had every opportunity to ride the wave of the New South Africa towards corporate success. But she felt a different calling: she dared to know - and to act. Mandisa has made a career of stepping out of her comfort zone to fight for the dignity of her fellow South Africans. In our conversation, Mandisa takes us through her fight for equal access to housing, education and employment opportunities for all. Here is a driven social activist, with a clear sense of place in South Africa’s struggle for social justice – a struggle that Mandisa vividly describes as far from over.