It is empowering to see women survivors break away from their abusive situations and start taking charge of their lives.

Mandisa Monakali is the founder and president of Ilitha Labantu, a non-profit organisation that provides free counselling, legal support, training, education and empowerment programmes to women and children survivors of abuse in Gugulethu, neighbouring townships, and the greater Western Cape region. A survivor of abuse herself, Monakali formed the non-profit in 1989 after she realised how domestic violence affects the development of women and children in her community. It was the first organisation of its kind in the black townships of the Western Cape, offering its specialised services to aid women escaping abusive situations.

She has dedicated more than 40 years to advocating for the rights of women and children. Over the course of her career, she has been highly acknowledged both nationally and internationally for her work towards equality and women’s empowerment. In 1995, Monakali, alongside other women, played a significant role in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration Platform for Action. Ilitha Labantu also offered counselling services to the bereaved during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the Western Cape.

Monakali finds meaning and fulfilment in the work she does to help others. “I feel grateful when clients come back to inform us of the progress that they have made because of the impact Ilitha Labantu had in their lives,” she says.

The organisation has directly helped over 54 000 women and children over a 30-year period, helped communities heal from the horrors of apartheid, and brought much-needed awareness to the issue of violence against women and children in townships. Monakali has remained the heart of the organisation since its creation, integral to every part of what they do. Her work extends beyond even that, as she is active in the fight against HIV, as well as a contributor to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN.

A monumental figure for social justice, Monakali is a personification of the words of the famous resistance song that’s sung as we commemorate the 1956 Women’s March each August, Wathinta abafazi, wathinta umbokodo — You have touched a woman, now you have struck a rock.

— Cayleigh Bright

Twitter: @MMonakal