Welcome to This Way Up, the podcast that shines a light into the corners of South Africa where change is happening.
Interviews every two weeks with inspirational people building South Africa from the ground up.
Hosted by Babette Gallard (writer and eco-activist) and Terry Shakinovsky (author, editor and former BBC journalist).
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Episode 13 – Zandile Mqathi: Rethinking Activism Through Rest, Theatre and Love
What if changing the world doesn’t always mean fighting harder, shouting louder or working longer? In the first of our special Rethinking Activism in Africa conversations, activist and author Mark Heywood talks to Zandile Mqathi about a radically different approach to social change. Drawing on her own journey from a young mother diagnosed with HIV…
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Mark Heywood: Rethinking Activism, Rebuilding Hope
After more than 40 years fighting for human rights and social justice, Mark Heywood is still angry about injustice and still convinced we can do something about it. A co-founder of South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign, Mark joins us to talk about his new book, Rethinking Activism in Africa, and the remarkable people across the…
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Angela Yeung: Climbing Mountains, Changing Lives
Abandoned by her mother at the age of three, Angela Yeung grew up knowing what it meant to struggle, but never stopped believing in what she could achieve. From a childhood spent hiding beneath her father’s office desk to building a successful jewellery business and standing on the summit of Mount Everest, hers is an…
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Mandisa Jackson: Hillbrow Radio and the Power of Community Action
Mandisa Jackson speaks openly about surviving an abusive marriage, imprisonment, having stage 3 cancer, and finding purpose in supporting others. Through Hillbrow Radio and the community volunteers she calls her GBV Warriors, she helps women facing violence, takes anti-bullying programmes into schools and brings neighbours together across nationalities. She tells us about her faith, the…
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Banele Manana: Finding Purpose in the Problem
What if the problem you once struggled to overcome could become your purpose? In this episode, you’ll hear how entrepreneur and single mother Banele Manana founded the Bee an Angel Foundation to give young people something she never had: the chance to explore different careers through practical, hands-on experience. She talks about building her own…
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Joni Brenner – Artist, Lecturer, and Marigold Bead Project Partner
In this episode, we hear from the amazing Joni Brenner, an artist helping a cooperative of women in Zimbabwe to produce beads that are not just beautiful necklaces but also an enterprise that sustains the livelihoods of women and their families. Joni shares how it all began with a “happy accident,” which led to collaborations…
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Sifiso Gumbi: Entrepreneurship, Opportunity and Building a Better South Africa
Sifiso Gumbi, a former waste picker, founded Urban Surfer to improve conditions for South Africa’s informal reclaimers. He started collecting recyclables in Soweto at 19, eventually building a buyback centre before partnering with two collaborators who saw brand potential in supporting reclaimers with proper trolleys, training and protective equipment. Sifiso describes Urban Surfer’s flagship project…
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Bokashi Bran and Composting South Africa: Turning Food Waste into a Resource
Bronwyn Jones, founder of Bokashi Bran, tells us about Bokashi, a Japanese fermentation method that lets people compost cooked food, meat, and dairy waste that is normally excluded from home composting and sent to landfill. But the catch is, as she explains, that food waste sent to landfill produces roughly 627kg of CO2-equivalent emissions per…
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Welcome Witbooi: Gangsterism, Second Chances and Community Development South Africa
Welcome Witbooi, founder of BrightSpark Foundation was raised in Cape Town’s gang-infested Valhalla Park. He was a promising student but was drawn into gang life through absent role models and community influence. Sentenced to 23 years in prison at just 17, he had to join the 28s gang to survive, rising rapidly to General by…
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Chantal Nativel: Fighting River Pollution and Restoring Johannesburg’s Rivers
Chantal Nativel leads twice-monthly volunteer cleanups of the Braamfontein Spruit in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs. What began as dog walks with her German shepherd and a master’s thesis on water pollution and perimenopause grew into International Rivers Day cleanups that now draw a small, committed group pulling string, polystyrene, car parts, and even washing machines from…