When Joyce Nomagugu Msomi and Ntokozo Madlala first met at the Rise Up Together South Africa Accelerator in 2020, they quickly realized they shared more than a passion for gender equity – they shared a vision for change.
Longtime members of the Rise Up Together community may recognize Joyce from a previous Global Good News story highlighting her work to expand survivor-centered support for women in South Africa. This month, we’re looking back at an earlier chapter of her leadership journey – one that demonstrates the power of partnership to strengthen women’s representation and participation in public decision-making.
Although they each led their own organizations, Joyce and Ntokozo’s conversations revealed a common purpose: ensuring that women, girls, and LGBTQ+ communities had a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape their lives. Before long, they were supporting one another by reviewing grant proposals, sharing expertise, and strengthening each other’s work.
That partnership would become the foundation for Zizojik’Izinto – meaning Things Will Turn Around – a Rise Up Together-supported advocacy initiative working to strengthen women’s political representation and participation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Joyce and Ntokozo understood that lasting progress requires more than good policies. It requires ensuring the people most affected by those policies have a seat at the table.
Through their project, they trained more than 1,600 gender advocates, reached more than 10,000 community members through radio campaigns, and successfully advocated for a written commitment from South Africa’s Department of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities to strengthen women’s participation in government decision-making structures.
For Joyce and Ntokozo, representation is deeply personal.
“Our voice is our tool. It reflects our power, our passion, and our representation across every platform,” the two shared.
Their work demonstrates that strengthening democracy isn’t only about elections – it’s about ensuring communities have the opportunity to shape the public decisions that affect their lives.
The partnership Joyce and Ntokozo built has transformed not only their advocacy, but also their own leadership.
By the end of their project, Joyce and Ntokozo had stepped into leadership roles within the eThekwini AIDS Council Women’s Sector, while ten community leaders they trained also held positions within government and civil society accountability structures. Together, they demonstrated how investing in local women leaders can strengthen participation in public decision-making.
Reflecting on their journey together, they shared:
“Working together taught us the true meaning of the power of leadership. It is remarkably awesome and humbling, especially when two leaders who lead selflessly work together.”
Joyce and Ntokozo also described how their collaboration opened new opportunities to engage with decision-makers and elevate community voices.
“Our names are now on the map, and we no longer have to prove who we are before we can begin the conversation,” they said.
Joyce and Ntokozo shared their hope that the work would continue to expand and that more women would have opportunities to lead and shape public life.
“Our hope is a world free from gender inequity – a world where it is easy to speak up, access leadership, and keep gender equity a priority. That is the greatest form of freedom.”
Their story is a powerful reminder that democracy grows stronger when women lead together, communities organize, and those closest to the challenges have the opportunity to shape the solutions.
Every day, Rise Up Together leaders like Joyce and Ntokozo are helping build more representative, accountable, and inclusive societies – one partnership at a time.
