Meet our team

I am a radio presenter from Lesotho. What I enjoy most about the work as a KC is the chance to capture stories of the LGBT+ community. Getting to hear what other people have gone through; it’s humbling and overwhelming, but at the same time has been a great learning experience and has ultimately opened doors for expansion of collaboration with other people.

Tsitsi Chadambuka, preferred name Chihwa, identifies as a transman from Zimbabwe, working as a Filmmaker and Human Rights Activist.

Being an activist and human rights defender made Chihwa realise the importance of documenting LGBT+ violations. Through thought and passion Chihwa realised there was a need for the documentation of the LGBT+ violations and decided to put their filmmaking skills into practice. Chihwa now films and documents on LGBT+ struggles and successes and has documented a number of LGBT+ issues in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Chimwemwe Padatha is a Malawian journalist who has worked in main stream journalism for about four years and has a passion for marginalized groups, youth participation and leadership. He is currently an employee of Maziko radio station where he is working as a reporter. Chimwemwe is also a correspondent for radio DW, Germany’s international broadcaster. His passion in journalism has enabled him to speak for minority groups through various publications in recognition of the hostility of the environment they are living in which has greatly affected livelihoods of their community.

Daphne Jena is a feminist who is passionate about women’s rights advocacy, with a special focus on Gender Based violence, child marriage and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. She has over four years’ experience in feminist organising using online tools.With an undergraduate qualification in Media and journalism studies, her advocacy and activism work is centred on content creation using online alternative media for activism and human rights advocacy.
Daphne has worked for Her Zimbabwe Zimbabwe’s first online women media outlet which promotes the use of technology in promoting women’s thought leadership and advocacy for women’s rights.
She is a fellow of multiple digital story telling initiatives that focus on advocacy of human rights. Which include, the Mobile Community Zimbabwe (MCZ) and Women Making Mobile Media (ZWM3) project. She is currently one of the Zimbabwean representatives in the Positive Vibes Key Correspondent project which is part of the KP Reach consortium. Key Correspondents is a vibrant network of citizen journalists and activists who write to influence GBV, SRHR, HIV and broader health policy, programming and financing in Southern Africa.
Daphne holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Media and Society Studies from the Midlands State University (MSU) and is studying towards her Master of Science in Development studies at Women’s University in Africa. She also has qualifications in Project management, Project monitoring and evaluation and public relations.

Denver Kisting is a 34-year-old final-year student of the intricacies and fallacies of the law, and hopefully makes such strides, to be a better version of himself.
Born and bred in a minute town 87 km south of the Namibian capital, he breathes, work and has fun in Windhoek. He is committed to offer kindness and compassion to fellow humans, sending as much love as possible.

I am Dunker Kamba, a Malawian Human Rights Defender. I am working with Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) as a Project Officer for Health. I have been in LGBTI and Sex workers movement since 2006.
I believe that every human deserves equal treatment and respect regardless of Gender, Occupation, Race, Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity or Expression or indeed any status.
I believe that, given equal opportunities, every Human can contribute positively towards making the world a better place for all mankind.

Karin Johannes, aged 33 years is originally from Windhoek, Namibia. Karin shares sibling relations with an elder brother of which she is the last born. She completed her secondary years in 2004 at Eldorado Secondary School. In the year 2005 she started off working at the age of 21 and possessed the position as the youngest Quality Controller at the Cadbury chocolate factory where she started off as a box maker and packer. Karin’s enthusiasm managed to get her the position as Supervisor, but this was short lived as her contract expired with the factory as it was a seasonal job. She took up her passion in writing and spends her time doing performance poetry at spaces of spoken word and a once off chance to expose her writing in the French institute in South Africa, Johannesburg. In 2011, she went on to do volunteer work with the Nation Youth Service in Ondangwa the northern region of Namibia. Here she went through military phases, to a year of volunteering at a district hospital in a small town called Okakarara. After three years of service to the government, Karin took up the NGO work where she still works for an LGBT+ organization in Windhoek, Out-Right Namibia, as an M&E Officer (Monitoring and Evaluations). Her first trail was as an interim M&E officer of which she holds the position today, she still writes poetry of which she takes as her first love as to what puts thoughts on paper. She also is a Key Correspondent for the KP reach program for Positive Vibes where the focus is bringing out the sector of Human Rights Violations that happen with LGBT+ and Sex Workers and also the good side of LGBT+ lives that do matter in Namibia.

I am Kenneth Chimombo from Malawi. I work as a Project Officer at Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP). I'm a very shy person, am afraid of clouds and love to make clothes when I'm frustrated to calm myself down. This work gives me a good chance to work well with the community I'm working for and also gives me evidence to bring about the change I want to see. This also gives me energy to know that I'm trusted by the community I live in to share their stories to help create change.

I am a free-spirited, ambitious, energetic person who has a passion for social justice for all human beings. Having worked with oppressed and marginalized groups has taught me to be empathetic, receptive and sensitive to issues. My kind and caring nature always drives me to defend people that cannot defend or speak for themselves. Above all, I am a dedicated professional who is specialized in the field of human right advocacy, HIV and other health related issues and keen to impact positive change on the lives of marginalized persons.

Mamofuta Kale is a Human Rights lawyer who has obtained her masters degree at the Centre for Human Rights in 2012 on International Human Rights and HIV in Africa. She is also the Judges’ Researcher for the Chief Justice in the High Court of Lesotho.

Since 2012, she has been working in the field of human rights with a special focus to key population advocating for their rights. She is now a chairperson in a committee established to fight discrimination, abuse and violence among key population. She is working with several human rights organisations in Lesotho to name but a few; Matrix Lesotho, LENEPWA, WILSA, Care for Basotho, Sesotho Media and Manonyane community based organisation. She also works with Positive Vibes as a Key Correspondent and works with SAfAIDS as a champion in the Justice Sector.

McLean Kabwe is a Zambian human rights advocate, writer and wellness coach to the young and disempowered sexual minorities.

His work in the HIV and Human rights field spans seven years from 2010. During this time he has been working on issues of access to health services for the most at risk populations. These include the LGBT+, the stigma and discrimination against them and stakeholders engagement.

His work has materialized in the co-formation of an organization called The Lotus Identity with other colleagues and which he sees as a medium through which he can increase his effectiveness to improve the lives of the local LGBT+ community and other equally marginalized groups.

His professional credentials include Public Policy Certificate from Africa University under Open Society Initiatives Southern Africa. TB and HIV Advocacy Certificate of Competence under AIDS Rights Alliance Southern Africa. Real Estate Management degree from The Copperbelt University and other competences in research, data collection and analysis as well as Community and Stakeholders capacity building.

As the Communications Officer of the LGBTI advocacy organization, Rock of Hope, Simelane uses his voice to bring awareness to the conditions under which the LGBT+ community and all minority groups live in Swaziland. In challenging power, his approach is guided by the belief that change cannot be achieved without mutual respect and consultation. His work also expands into HIV/AIDS advocacy; an endeavour he pursues relentlessly in Swaziland and when the opportunity arises, abroad too. He is also a peer counsellor and educator at the University of Swaziland, where he currently studies a B. Com Marketing degree.

Boitshepo Mmabatho Motsamai is a believer in African development through leadership, community engagement and the power of pen.

She has previously served as a motivational speaker for class volunteers, an initiative supported by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development of Botswana that provides relief counselling and empowerment for students in public senior secondary schools. She has served three posts within the Student Representative Council of her previous institution, ABM University College, further becoming the first female SRC President.

She is an alumni of the YALI RLC leadership initiative, the APCIEU & UNESCO 2nd Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED. Her accolades include being the first female finalist of the Pioneering Anzisha Media in 2016 as well as an alumni of YALA Academy 2017.

Today, She is the founder of The Afrolutionist, a blog that promotes dialogue on African Development in all sectors viewed in over 130 countries across the globe. The blog also runs CSR projects that promote sustainable development goals, centering all projects around SDG 17. She is also the founding member of the United Nations Association of Botswana, and a key correspondent of Positive Vibes KP REACH program.

Nomcebo Thungo is a Project Coordinator at the Durban Lesbian & Gay Community and Health Centre’s Branch in Ladysmith, KwaZulu Natal. Part of her daily work includes providing sensitization training at health care facilities and raising awareness on: hate crimes, Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression and providing constant support to LGBT+ in form of group seminars, basic counselling, referrals when needed and the organising of safe-space social events in the district. She sits in the both the Local & District AIDS Council.

In her spare time she is a fantasy book & movie fanatic, can be found armed with pen and notebook scribbling a line or more about this, that and nothing in particular. She claims she has found permanent residence behind a camera capturing life around her.

I am a self-driven, collaborative, and solution-focused health professional. I have experience focused on Palliative Care and Sexual Reproductive Health, HIV testing and counseling, and prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). I have exceptional interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills with demonstrated experience in public health issues surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, and working with people living with HIV/AIDS. I possess highly organized, visionary local development expertise and have developed and implemented innovative programs in Zambia. I have a longstanding relationship with the marginalized sexual minority community in Zambia working as an advisor on HIV prevention, safer hormonal therapy use and support-related issues for the past six years. Through my exposure to various international training in key population health issues, I have been able to provide technical thought leadership, strategic planning, communication and relationship management of key partners/stakeholders to key populations organizations locally as well as in the SADC region. I have been directly involved in providing support to Friends of Rainka and the TransBantu Association and have been able to supervise several technical staff from LGBT+ grassroots organizations in Zambia. I currently serve as Clinical Technical Advisor on the Zambia Community HIV Epidemic Control of Key Populations (Z-CHECK) project at the University of Maryland.

Based in Kitwe, Zambia, Reuben has taught and examined in science and mathematics in Zimbabwe’s and Zambia’s educational systems. He is an Alumnus of the Mandela Institute of Development Studies’ Annual African Youth Dialogues ( 2014). He has written articles for several media publications in the sub-Saharan region. Reuben has worked for both public and not-for-profit organisations such as Lubhancho House (Zimbabwe) and FHI360 ( Zambia). His current interests include working with or on key populations issues in Zambia and the region. During his spare time, he enjoys writing for social change and shifts in attitudes to promote and support the human rights of the key populations and other vulnerable groups in his home country; and the region through personal and collective effort. His dreams for the future are seeing a society that promotes and protects diversity and social inclusion of people for a literate, peaceful and just world.

I consider myself to have journalism running through my veins. My father worked as a journalist in Lesotho before migrating to Botswana and I started my protracted sojourn into the fourth estate whilst studying at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. I wrote feature pieces for Daily Dispatch under the stewardship of Gavin Stewart who was previously head of Journalism Department at Rhodes in 1999.
These human interest articles galvanised my lifelong passion for the profession and writing stories. I graduated with a Masters degree in international Studies in 2000 and started my free lance career writing pieces for Business Day as a Correspondent for Botswana. During the course of my journalistic career I have written on HIV/AIDS for Plus News, IRIN news, Business Day, Mail and Guardian and Associated Press.
This is my first full on foray writing on sexual minorities for media. I have covered these issues superficially when writing on HIV/AIDS in Botswana - the first country in Africa to roll out ARV’s for infected persons for free through its public health system. The stories related are therefore unique and groundbreaking.
This platform allows writers like myself to share these stories on minorities through the lens of the subjects of these stories. It is designed to facilitate individual understanding and growth. I do not pretend to cover the views and stories of those with an adversarial attitude to this constituency.

Thuthu Magagula is an LGBTI+ activist in Swaziland. Thuthu took interest and became a human rights defender after studying law in university and with the realization that marginalized populations were ill-treated and wanted to get involved in enforcing positive change after graduating in 2010. Thuthu joined The Rock of Hope, an LGBTI + organization, which is focused on rights initiatives and advocacy for key populations in 2011. Thuthu works extensively with national and regional stakeholders leading interventions which seek to improve the lives of marginalized people and creating an enabling environment for them in the country.

I am a human rights defender, activist as well as a Key Correspondent from Positive Vibe programme for change of attitudes and laws that criminalises or stigmatise key populations. I am the founder of the 3sites in the Western Cape, Paarl. Zonwabele Organisation, Worcester Safe Space and Sex Workers Alliance in Paarl. It is my passion to create safe spaces for key population in order for them to disseminate information to others and as
well to give them a space where they can share their stories and refer one another to systems put in place for them in terms of health and legal issues they face.