Zandile Ndlovu's Black Mermaid Foundation aims to introduce the ocean to the country's black youth, millions of whom live in impoverished shanty townships, where beach trips are a luxury and swimming skills in short supply.
Established in 2020, the Foundation currently pays for the lessons but is looking for funders to ensure its longevity.Free diver Zandile Ndlovu encourages a township youth to explore the marine world off Simonstown, near Cape Town, South Africa, August 22, 2021. Picture taken August 22, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings"The water space has not always been diverse, and I wanted to create a space where diverse representation in the ocean is possible," she said.
Before South Africa's first democratic vote in 1994 ended white-minority rule, a myriad of apartheid laws legalised racial segregation across all facets of life. Public spaces, such as bathrooms and beaches, were reserved for whites only.