By Tholakele Thabane
Qedusizi “Keke” Masina is nearing the end of her youthful life of activism. She is turning 35
years in a few months. Born and bred in KwaThema, East Rand of Gauteng, she is a mother to
a 15-year-old daughter.
Keke, who holds a Flight Attendant qualification from Cranfield Aviation School, is MACUA’s
Ekurhuleni Branch Secretary.
Growing up in a space surrounded by dumping sites with unbearable stench, contaminated
water, dust from mines, abandoned and operating mines, were all the triggers that directly
affected by Keke’s drive for activism and to hold those in power accountable. The endless
pollution from mines led her to develop asthma, which she is suffering from to date.
Keke’s Activism
Her early stages of activism began when she was a member of the Ekurhuleni Environmental
Organisation (EEO), where they took upon themselves to minimise the damage. This was after
they had engaged the municipality with no assistance.
At the time, Keke was the secretary at EEO and this is where she fell in love with secretariat
duties, and she has since loved note-taking and record-keeping.
In 2010, Benchmarks partnered with EEO to form community monitors who would assist in
addressing community issues through research, writing STORIES that would keep the community
updated. “We wanted to see our environment clean and safe to live in. We cleaned the
dumping sites ourselves,” Keke recalls.
Being situated at a walking distance from an abandoned and unrehabilitated mine, posed a
challenge for the community as crime rates increased, children being kidnapped and showing
up died. Her resistance with the EEO led to the closure of shaft 5 of Vlakfontein Mine. This
was a huge victory.
In 2011, after seeing that they are not the only community affected by mining, Keke joined
MACUA. In 2022, she became the Ekurhuleni Branch Secretary. “I wanted to see change as an
activist and help those affected by mining,” she said.
A transition from youth Activism
Having been a youth and a part of Youth Affected by Mining United in Action (YAMUA), and
now transitioning into the adult wing of the organisation, Keke sees this as a smooth
transition as she is already a member of the Women Affected by Mining United in Action
(WAMUA). She says she’s been learning a lot from WAMUA members. It has been an exciting
journey for her as youth activism allows the mind to think out of the box and is a different
kind of activism.
Some of the causes that are very close to Keke a is to advocate for women’s rights. Women
are the ones subjected to some of the worst forms of discrimination and oppression. As she
turns 35, her youth activism will be ending, and she hopes she has made a difference and will
be able to inspire YAMUA members into becoming resilient activists.