‘We don't want to hear about polar bears' — Meet the woman bringing climate justice home to Alex
Climate and gender activist Ndivile Mokoena is strengthening her community's response to climate change, using terms they can relate to.
I first met Ndivile Mokoena by accident. I was at the Alexandra Water Warriors (AWW) head office with photojournalist Felix Dlangamandla, following up on the aftermath of days of heavy rainfall that had flooded the Jukskei River and surrounding informal settlement, collapsing people's homes. We were waiting at the AWW's head office when I noticed a small workshop under way under the boma.
A woman stood at the front, explaining climate change to residents in Alexandra – people who face its most brutal impacts first-hand. But this wasn't the usual jargon-filled presentation I've come to expect from climate workshops, it was the most accessible, grounded explanation of the climate crisis I've ever heard. And that's saying something, because I spend most of my days trying to make technical climate terms understandable, and I end almost every interview with engineers and scientists with, 'but please can you explain it in layman's terms.'
The woman was Ndivile Mokoena, co-director of GenderCC South Africa- Women for Climate Justice. Based in Johannesburg, GenderCC works at the intersection of climate and gender justice, building climate literacy and advocating for marginalised voices, especially women and youth.
It turned out Mokoena was running the session as part of the Suncasa (Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions [NbS] for Climate Adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa) project, which aims to strengthen resilience and biodiversity in flood-prone cities in Ethiopia, Rwanda and South Africa.
In Johannesburg, they're focusing on revitalising the Upper Jukskei River catchment – improving urban heat management, water security, green space, and livelihoods – through local NGOs such as AWW and GenderCC.
'She's just a ball of energy; her ability to translate complex climate science into actionable strategies that really prioritise vulnerable populations has not only shaped our team's approach but has inspired me personally also to think more critically about the intersections of power, identity, and the sustainability,' reflected her co-director at GenderCC, Bertha Chiroro.
'And it's what I love most about her – in her examples, she never talks about abstract issues, but day-to-day issues that affect people, and the changes we need to make to deal with the climate catastrophe.'
A few weeks later, I attended another workshop in Alexandra, this time at a creche. Mokoena was leading a session with AWW volunteers and local artists – mostly women, many of them mothers – challenging them to think about how gender roles influence climate adaptation and nature-based solutions.
'As women, we need rights to education'
I asked Mokoena if she has ever had people not understand why climate and gender were connected, and Chiroro laughed, saying, this is what they have to explain to the national government all the time.
When asked what brought her here, Mokoena said her passion for social justice has always been part of her. She recalled an incident growing up in Soweto that first made her aware of gender inequalities.
'After matriculation, I told my mom what I want to do… and my father said, no, he doesn't believe in educating girls further,' she said.
'Then that triggered something (in) me – that as women, we need to have rights to be able to get the same education as men.'
Mokoena found a job at Standard Bank and funded her own studies through Unisa – communications, marketing, and later, certificates in women's and children's rights and community leadership. She noted that even there, gender discrimination followed her – she was paid less than a male colleague with the same role.
During the HIV/Aids crisis in the 1980s, Mokoena volunteered at shelters for abused women, which highlighted the intersectional challenges black South African women face.
Her environmental activism was sparked through the Catholic Church's Justice and Peace ministry, where members were encouraged to identify and solve local issues.
In her neighbourhood, she noticed illegal dumping was rampant. 'We started going to the councillor, cleaning that space and we started food gardens,' she said.
That led to broader environmental training and networks such as Earthlife Africa and the Women in Energy and Climate Change Forum. Her work grew – supporting women farmers, lobbying municipalities and taking South African voices to international platforms.
From 2018 to 2020, Mokoena served as the Global South focal point for the Women and Gender Constituency of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She has attended several UN climate conferences, ensuring that the struggles of everyday women in Johannesburg's informal settlements are represented in international policy-making spaces.
But it's not travelling to Poland to climate change COPs that motivates her, it's the women around her.
Mokoena and Chiroro said they were so moved by how many volunteers there are at Alex Water Warriors, about 3,000 people who are trying to clean one of the most polluted rivers in the country.
'You find women with their babies on their back, waking up early in the morning to go and volunteer with the hope that they can clean up their community,' she said.
Empowering local knowledge
Mokoena challenges the idea that African communities don't understand climate change.
'African people understand what climate change is – they notice the changes,' she said. 'They are very grounded in nature.'
She recalled her childhood: growing food, reusing materials, bartering with neighbours. 'Nothing was thrown away. Now, these changes make sense — because we've stopped doing those things.'
To communicate climate science in ways that make sense locally, she starts with what people know.
'We ask, in your own vicinity, what changes are you observing? Not polar bears or melting ice — but here, in Alex or Soweto.'
People talk about how growing food has changed, floods, water shortages. From there, she builds a deeper understanding, also highlighting governance issues such as crumbling infrastructure
'They know what the industries are doing – burning coal, dumping. They see it. Then we explain that these are the things causing climate change.'
Why women?
Although climate change affects everyone, it doesn't do so equally. In South Africa, women – especially in poor communities – bear the brunt of climate impacts, yet are often left out of decisions.
GenderCC's research shows that while climate policies exist, they often fail to integrate gender meaningfully. Without women's voices, these policies risk missing both their unique vulnerabilities and their critical knowledge.
For example:
Women often work in agriculture but don't own land, limiting access to adaptation tools such as irrigation or drought-resistant seeds;
They're usually responsible for collecting water – a task made harder and riskier by droughts or floods;
Disasters disrupt girls' education, sometimes leading to early marriage or sex work;
Economic stress and displacement heighten the risk of gender-based violence; and
Health burdens such as indoor smoke inhalation or food insecurity – fall heavily on women, who also struggle with access to care in patriarchal systems.
Despite these challenges, women hold vital local knowledge – in water management, food security and caregiving –but are underrepresented in policy decisions.
Through the Gender into Urban Climate Change Initiative (GUCCI), Mokoena helped show that gender-responsive climate planning results in better, more inclusive solutions. Their work exposed major gaps: lack of sex-disaggregated data, weak enforcement of gender policy and poor coordination between climate and gender bodies.
'What I really admire most about Ndivile is her unwavering commitment to inclusivity,' said Chiroro.
'She ensures that gender equity is not an afterthought, but a core pillar of climate action. Whether she's leading in community consultation, contributing to policy design, or mentoring young professionals, her work is always rooted in justice and empowerment.'
Ground-up change
With support from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and Medico, GenderCC has helped communities such as Driezik 1 in Orange Farm township and Kwanele in Katlehong township take grassroots climate action.
In Driezik 1, Mokoena helped install a biogas digester at Reamohetsoe Primary School – giving learners clean cooking fuel – and ran hands-on workshops where women and youth learnt to turn waste into energy, organise clean-ups and advocate for better water and sanitation.
Inspired by this work, residents formed savings clubs for solar panels and started exploring small-scale biogas at home.
In Kwanele, she facilitated similar exchanges – peer learning spaces focused on food security, energy, and justice.
Teaching with the land
When I asked Mokoena if there was a moment in her career that stood out, she thought of a small-scale urban farmer she works with. Women in this sector face major challenges accessing formal market chains, such as selling to Pick n Pay or Checkers. They are often pressured to bribe either financially or 'in kind,' implying sexual favors – just to get a foot in the door. Even when they sell to big retailers, they are exploited and paid far less than market price.
To improve their chances, women organise into cooperatives, but many barriers remain. As an alternative, they've started monthly community markets where they sell produce directly to consumers at fair prices.
One such farmer is Nompumelelo Madubane from Orange Farm, whom Mokoena trained in agroecology. Madubane is part of the Women in Energy and Climate Change Forum under Earthlife Africa and is active in the Bonkgono Community Project, a group of elderly community gardeners.
'Sisi Ndivile's work has helped us understand the difference between chemical and natural farming. She has also taught us a lot about climate change,' Madubane said.
'Thanks to her training, we now grow our gardens in ways that benefit us and the environment.'
A single mother of five, Madubane has put her two eldest sons through tertiary education despite job losses. She started a food garden at a local school and installed a biogas digester to provide cooking gas.
'We now use agroecology methods there. We have a group of farmers in Orange Farm where we teach and learn from each other,' she said.
Mokoena and GenderCC helped farmers like Madubane engage the local government, leading to councillors joining workshops and clean-up campaigns. The community raised awareness about waste disposal, secured bins and recycling, and improved their environment. Local officials were impressed and brought in City Parks to plant trees and waste groups to educate residents.
'What stands out about Sisi Ndivile is her leadership; she's helped me teach and lead myself,' Madubane said. 'I now give talks about the social impacts of climate change, teach children where their food comes from, and more. I'm where I am today because of her teachings.'
Chiroro added: 'She continues to do great work. Her love for community and empowering people to create their own change is something I truly admire. I love how she helps communities speak out about their challenges and solutions.'
Makukane said: 'I hope she can keep teaching in other communities. I could write a book about how much good she's done, not just in farming but beyond.' DM
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