Xatasi says, “I want to ensure that people know about their environmental rights and how important this is for protecting their livelihoods and cultural heritage. To achieve this, I will raise awareness through locally based environmental summits and community dialogues, which highlight our right to a clean and safe environment.

“South Africa must make the transition to renewable energy now, if we have any hope of effectively addressing the intensifying climate crisis, which will likely affect women from impoverished communities the most. Coastal communities continue advocating for clean energy and oceans free from oil and gas exploration. The research proves that continuing to drill for oil and gas is in contradiction with reaching net-zero emissions by 2050,” she adds,

Xatasi applauds The Green Connection’s Legacy Programme for providing her with advocacy skills that have already been “useful and effective in educating communities about the environmental issues that affect them and for providing the tools to show how they can defend their rights.”