Nurturing Growth Through Nature, Mental Health Advocacy, and Disability Inclusion
Get to know Nosihle Mthembu, a dynamic young woman from Manguzi, a rural town in kwaMhlabuyalingana located 18km from the Mozambique border. Nestled under the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and surrounded by lakes and the Indian Ocean, Manguzi has shaped her worldview through its rich cultural diversity Zulu, Tsonga, and Portuguese influences converge in this coastal community.
Nosihle’s humility and entrepreneurial spirit were born from observing her self-reliant community, where people grow and sell produce and other goods. This upbringing deeply rooted in nature and community resilience continues to fuel her drive for social and environmental change
Since 2020, Nosihle has run iMbalizethu Nursery, where she grows and sells plants to promote sustainability and combat climate change. As a proud 2019 Activator, she lives for community development. In addition to her environmental work, she’s helping to revive an association for people living with disabilities at her tertiary institution.
What inspired her to start this work?
Nosihle’s first-hand experience with unemployment led her to create job opportunities through her nursery. Beyond this, she’s a published author, poet, and mental health advocate dedicated to being a voice for the marginalized. Living with mental illness herself, she understands and empathizes deeply with people living with both visible and invisible disabilities.
Her nursery has not only helped the environment but also provided part-time jobs. Nosihle believes that offering hope through motivation and inspiration can create powerful ripples of impact, even if it starts one person at a time.
Challenges:
Nosihle’s biggest challenge has been accessing funding. Despite being accepted into and completing a year-long ISIMANGALISO RURAL ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME in 2023, she never received the promised funding. The lack of accountability and absence of legal support has been disheartening, particularly as she also manages depression and anxiety. Still, she continues to push forward with hope.
Most rewarding moments so far?
For Nosihle, waking up every day to live out what was once just a dream has been the most rewarding part of her journey. She is still in the early stages but finds daily purpose and joy in the lessons along the way.
Is there a current issue in the country or your community that connects to your work?
Yes global warming, soil erosion, and climate change are urgent issues she works to combat through conservation and education. She also raises awareness about social injustice and mental health challenges.
How has being part of the ACTIVATE! Network influenced her journey?
Joining Activate! in 2019 was transformative. “It sharpened my leadership and built lifelong connections,” she said. The network ignited her Afrocentric values and civic engagement, from election observation to constitutional reviews. “I met changemakers who became family,” she reflects, crediting Activate! for fueling her vision to address global warming, soil erosion, and social injustices.
A Future of Impact
Nosihle plans to scale iMbalizethu and relaunch a disability association at her tertiary institution by July 2025, despite funding challenges. Her nursery fights environmental degradation, while her advocacy amplifies marginalized voices. “Seeing my dream become reality is my greatest reward,” she says. With Activate!’s support and Manguzi’s spirit, Nosihle Mthembu is cultivating hope one seed, one voice, one change at a time.
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About the Author:
Sandile Mlangeni is a 2019 GP-based Activator, he is passionate about youth activism. Sandile regards it as important to contribute his views and experiences to recognised entities seeking to develop communities. He started his journey as an activist in 2012 when he started collaborating with community-based organisations in his hometown in Tsakane and Kwa-Thema Ekurhuleni.
