Arts & Entertainment
29
Global Citizen
Website
“You’ve never been too loud, in fact, you could be louder,” is the advice Khanyi Mlaba, 29, would tell her younger self. As a journalist dedicated to placing underreported stories from Africa into the global spotlight, her fresh approach to covering African stories led to being promoted from writer to editor and content manager for Southern and Eastern Africa at Global Citizen, an international education and advocacy organisation. She was among the first to report on the cholera outbreak in Malawi, covered the Tigray war in Ethiopia, and discrimination against African students in Ukraine. Khanyi spent the past year calling for justice for a group of African students trapped in Ukraine, which led to students from the Global Black Coalition being invited to speak at the UN office in Geneva, Switzerland. She has also spearheaded campaigns within Global Citizen to raise awareness about human rights violations around the world and educate people on the role civil society. She has become the face and co-producer of social media discussions across platforms, such as Twitter Spaces, Instagram Lives and LinkedIn Lives. Through her role in media, Khanyi is shaping the global narrative on how to report on poverty and human rights violations. By working to address African issues with an African voice she is promoting an inclusive and multinational approach to issues within South Africa — a significant mission given the reach of xenophobia.
Triple-major bachelor’s degree from Rhodes University: Journalism, French, Philosophy.
- Youngest Digital Editor for Joburg Style at 23.
- Youngest Digital Editor for Garden and Home at 24.
- Appeared in TV interviews for work on water scarcity in Africa.
- Interviewed by Columbia University for work on Africans facing discrimination in Ukraine
- Engaged various famous people, including Chrissi Tiegen, Madonna and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, over her work.
I was kicked out of school, in the middle of class, my mom was in a tough place and hadn’t paid fees. When I got home in the middle of the school day, she said: “Go back to school. This is my fight, not yours.” So I went back. She protected my right to education that day and reminded me that you don’t back down when there’s a fight that’s yours to have.
You’ve never been too loud, in fact, you could be louder.
A country that’s actively working on tackling income, gender, housing and education inequality in a bid to secure a more poverty-free future. Younger, fresher faces in the cabinet who carry a new hope for the country’s future — a good number of them are women. A consensus has finally been reached on access and funding for tertiary education, and more underprivileged South Africans can earn a degree, diploma or tertiary certificate.