the black MERMAID

Zandile Ndhlovu's life is intertwined with the ocean, so much so that her blue braids are her way of carrying its beauty with her. Her mission is to make sure every child feels the power and wonder of the big blue.

When you’re the ‘first’ to do anything, you are given the chance to open doors for the next generation. This honour requires patience and a thick skin. As South Africa’s award-winning ‘Black Mermaid’ has learnt, the challenges can be trying yet fulfilling.

Zandile Ndhlovu is South Africa’s first black African freediving instructor. As the self-professed ‘Black Mermaid’, she broke barriers when she enrolled in a freediving course in 2019. What was a career change was also a historical moment in South Africa. ‘Once I qualified, I knew that I could use this piece of paper to create the change I have always yearned for in the world,’ explains

Zandile. The award-winning Black Mermaid Foundation has not only been able to create awareness of the lack of diversity in the ocean, but it has also brought children to the sea to show them the wonders of the deep blue. Her dream is to abolish the misconception that black people fear the sea. Zandile delves into what has brought her to this mission.

What are your fondest memories of growing up in Soweto?