Mbali Pfeiffer Shongwe

Johannesburg-born mental health advocate Mbali Shongwe, 26, has always been driven by the belief that every person deserves to be seen, supported, and heard. As the founder of Mindful(l), Mbali is reshaping how communities engage with mental health. Her organisation offers free counselling services, workshops and digital resources. Her leadership earned her recognition as part of Nike’s Well Collective. She also serves as a programme manager for BLKHLTH South Africa, a platform amplifying black mental health through education, events and advocacy. She works with Transform Education under the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, championing gender-transformative education, and co-hosts the Inclusive Economy Podcast exploring equity-driven futures. She was named a 2023 News24 Young Mandela of the Future and recipient of the #MyVoiceForJustice Award for her policy advocacy against gender-based violence. Mbali has led campaigns that shifted national conversations, most notably for the Convicted Offenders Amendment Bill. She is preparing to pursue her MSc in global mental health and society at the University of Edinburgh, building on her work with the Africa CDC and Global Fellows in Courage.

• Bachelor of Social Science in Psychology and Sociology, University of Cape Town
• Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology and History, University of the Witwatersrand
• Business training and personal/professional coaching through the HUB@Goethe Social Entrepreneurship Programme, offered by the Goethe-Institut
• Mental Health Leadership short course with Africa CDC, as part of the inaugural Southern African cohort in Zimbabwe

• Awarded the #MyVoiceForJustice Award from DNA for Africa in recognition of my commitment to GBV advocacy – 2021
• Named a News24 Young Mandela of the Future in the Social Justice category — 2023
• Selected as a local leader and ambassador for the inaugural Nike Well Collective in Johannesburg – 2024 

• My parents offered a powerful and nuanced blueprint for social activism. They instilled the understanding that service is not limited to one path, and that advocacy can exist in any career, space, or season of life
• Malala Yousafzai has long stood as a personal icon of that kind of leadership. Her fearless defiance of the Taliban at just 15 — risking her life to advocate for girls’ education — demonstrated that every voice matters, regardless of age or circumstance
• Professionally, several mentors have played a pivotal role in translating that foundation into tangible growth. Dr Vanessa Lynch was the first to recognise the potential of my voice and story on a public stage
• More recently, Paulah Wheeler — current employer and mentor, and co-founder of BLKHLTH — has been instrumental in shaping this leadership journey