Our Stories

Meet the people building futures from the ocean

For generations, the people of the Eastern Cape in South Africa have relied on the ocean’s bounty, but small-scale fishermen often struggled to get fair prices for their catch. iThemba, meaning “hope”, was born from a vision to unite independent fishers, ensuring they benefit from their hard work by selling their Cape Hope Squid directly to international markets.

Siyaphambili

Cebo Mvubu
Siyaphambili Co-operative

“When someone buys from us, they’re helping entire communities. It changes lives.”

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Mawanda Ndongeni
Siyaphambili Co-operative

“We don’t over-fish,we close the season to allow the squid to lay eggs and grow.”

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Nozake Elizabeth Fikima
Siyaphambili Co-operative

“It changed my life. Now I can reach my goals.

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Ntombekaya Nongce
Siyaphambili Co-operative

“Siyaphambili means moving forward, and if anything needs doing, us women get it done.”

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Kiwane

Ndileka Kenene
Kiwane Co-operative

“It’s hard work for little money, but it’s what we know.”

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Mfanele Condwale
Kiwane Co-operative

“The co-op has lifted our community out of poverty and misery.”

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Nongathini Maxhego
Kiwane Co-operative

“There’s little room for error, because the quality we deliver reflects on the entire co-op.”

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Nelson Nkosini Menzeleleni
Kiwane Co-operative

“Other villages can see that this co-op is a good idea, I’m grateful for the opportunity.”

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Umlibo

Nomutile  Vinus  Zamisa
Umlibo Co-operative

“When we prosper, everyone around us prospers – we all prosper.”

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Sindiswa Mtendeli
Umlibo Co-operative

“I’m very grateful. This is the legacy I’m leaving for my grandkids.”

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Mthethisi Gxaweni
Umlibo Co-operative

“I love the ocean so much. It feeds us, it keeps us going.”

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Xolisile Ntantiso
Umlibo Co-operative

“My situation became better because of the co-operative.”

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Xolisile Ntantiso
Member
Umlibo Co-operative

Born in 1962, Xolisile Ntantiso says his life improved significantly after joining the Umlibo Co-op. “My situation became better because of the co-operative,” she says. With the income he earns, he can now feed his children and pay their school fees.

Fishing remains a challenge – long walks to the ocean don’t always guarantee a catch, but the co-op has brought stability and hope. “Sometimes we return with nothing, but at least now we have something to work toward.”

Mthethisi Gxaweni
Member
Umlibo Co-operative

For Mthethisi Gxaweni, life has taken a turn for the better since joining the co-op. “It changed in a great way, a beautiful way,” he says with a smile.

He remembers the early days of fishing, when their gear was poor and their lines often broke. Today, things are different. The co-op has given him stability and purpose.

“I love the ocean so much,” he says. “It feeds us, it keeps us going.”

Most of all, he says, “I am grateful.”

Sindiswa Mtendeli
Member
Umlibo Co-operative

Sindiswa Mtendeli knows what it means to survive with nothing. Orphaned as a child, she raised her own children through deep hardship. “My kids went to school with no food in their stomachs and no uniform,” she recalls. Out of necessity, she picked up a fishing rod and went to the ocean, catching what she could to feed her family. “No oil needed to cook the fish,” she says, “just water and a pot.”

One day, she gathered abalone like she had seen others do. She was arrested and spent a night in jail. “I didn’t know I was breaking the law. We were just hungry.”

Things changed when she joined the co-op. Now she can put food on the table, buy building materials, and put a roof over her children’s heads. “I’m very grateful. This is the legacy I’m leaving for my grandkids.”

She believes in lifting others too: “If they work, they can eat.” She wants the next generation to follow the legal path, to see the co-op as a stepping stone to a better life. “Phambili – we go forward, we prosper.”

Nomutile  Vinus  Zamisa
Member
Umlibo Co-operative

At 63, Nomutile carries a deep connection to the sea. “Everything I know, I learned from my grandmother,” she says. “When there was nothing at home, we went to the ocean. The ocean would feed us.”

She remembers the hardship – walking long distances to school without shoes, her stomach aching from hunger. Abalone, once a regular part of their meals, is now off limits. “These days, we get arrested for what we used to eat to survive.”

Fishing has brought new dignity and stability. As a member of the Kiwane Co-op, Nomutile earns enough to cover her grandchildren’s school fees. More than that, she can now bypass the long clinic queues and go straight to the hospital when she needs care. “It helps me stay healthy and live longer,” she says.

Her pride in the co-op is strong. “Now we are happy, the future looks bright. I am grateful.”

And she believes in the ripple effect of shared success: “When we prosper, everyone around us prospers – we all prosper.”

Nelson Nkosini Menzeleleni
Kiwane Co-operative

Nelson Nkosini Menzeleleni fishes for octopus – not just to earn a living, but because he enjoys eating it too. “There are two kinds,” he explains, “one red and the other almost black.” Catching them takes skill. You need to know their habits and what bait to use. It’s not easy, especially for someone older like Nelson. “The ocean is far,” he says. They live inland, and the walk makes him tired.

Still, the co-op has brought a positive shift in his life. With the income he earns, he can now provide for his wife and children. “Since I joined the co-op, I have fewer problems,” he says. “ I have hope for the future if we keep going.”

He’s proud to be part of something that works – not just for him, but for the wider community. “Other villages can see that this co-op is a good idea,” Nelson says. “I’m grateful for the opportunity. It’s made a real difference in my life.”

Nongathini Maxhego
Kiwane Co-operative

Nongathini  has been part of the seaweed harvesting team in Phozi since 1958. As the supervisor, she holds a big responsibility – making sure every bale of seaweed is perfectly cleaned and ready for sale. “There’s little room for error,” she explains, “because the quality we deliver reflects on the entire co-op.”

Her role goes beyond supervision. She is also deeply committed to protecting the ocean’s ecosystem. “When we see little fish while harvesting seaweed, we carefully throw them back into the water so they can grow bigger,” she says. This respect for the sea is essential to sustaining their livelihood.

For Nongathini, this work is more than just a job, it’s a way to care for her community and the environment. Through the co-op, she helps ensure that both the ocean and the people depending on it can thrive for years to come.

Mfanele Condwale
Member
Kiwane Co-operative

Mfanele Condwale has lived in Phozi for so long that she remembers when the village huts still had grass roofs. It was her late son who first introduced her to the co-op, a turning point in her life. Today, she earns R1500 a month through the co-op, and while it’s modest, she sees it as a crucial step toward a better life.

“The co-op has lifted our community out of poverty and misery,” she says. “It is the epicentre of prosperity for us.”

She dreams of her grandchild joining one day, continuing the legacy and helping to build something lasting. But despite the progress, she’s honest about the daily struggles they still face—there are no proper toilets, just dangerous long-drops with broken seats, and the roads are in terrible condition.

“There’s still a lot to be done,” she says. But with iThemba—meaning hope—on their side, she believes that change will continue to come.

Ndileka Kenene
Member
Kiwane Co-operative

Ndileka Kenene is one of the women keeping a long-held tradition alive in Phozi along the Eastern Cape coast. As a member of the Kiwane Co-operative, she harvests seaweed by hand, often at low tide and in all weather, travelling to places like Port Alfred, PE and East London to collect it.

It’s back-breaking work. “Sometimes I think I’ll get a backache from picking so much,” she says with a laugh. The seaweed is dried, baled, and sold – sometimes for as little as R30 a bale, despite the size and effort. “It’s hard work for little money, but it’s what we know.”

Ndileka learned from her grandmother, who picked seaweed before her. Now she’s passing that knowledge along while raising four children of her own. She sees opportunity ahead, especially with growing international interest in seaweed from countries like Spain.

Beyond income, the seaweed is used locally to make soaps, sweets and traditional medicine. For Ndileka, being part of the co-op is not just about survival, it’s about honouring the past and holding onto hope.

Ntombekaya Nongce
Member
Siyaphambili Co-operative

For Ntombekaya, Siyaphambili isn’t just a name, it’s a way of life. “Siyaphambili means moving forward,” she says. “And if anything needs doing, us women get it done.”

Through her work with the co-op, Ntombekaya has been able to buy bricks to start building her home and put food on the table – mostly potatoes and water, as meat is a luxury. She looks after five children, including two of her late brother’s young ones. Her first-born recently passed away.

Despite the hardship, Ntombekaya finds strength in her community and pride in what Siyaphambili has achieved. “The co-op helps a lot of people here in Hamburg,” she says. “It makes me happy that my situation is a lot better.”

They still face challenges, like outdoor toilets and limited resources, but Ntombekaya is hopeful. She dreams of growing the co-op to create more jobs and improve more lives. “I’m grateful,” she says. “We’re moving forward, together.”

Nozake Elizabeth Fikima
Member
Siyaphambili Co-operative

Born in 1962, Nozake Fikima is 60 years old and proud to be part of the co-op. “It changed my life,” she says. “Now I can reach my goals.”

She sees her role – as a woman – as central to harvesting food from the sea, like octopus. “It takes hard, diligent work,” she says, “but I love it.”

She feels encouraged by the progress she’s seen and hopeful for the next generation. “My child can stay in school and keep learning.”

“I look forward to working with the co-op every day,” she says. “It gives me purpose.”

Mawanda Ndongeni
Siyaphambili Co-operative

For Mawanda Ndongeni, being part of Siyaphambili has brought real change. “Things are better than before,” he says, reflecting on how life has improved since the co-op began operating. “It changed our lives – our children are better off, and there is now respect for one another.”

Mawanda sees first-hand how the co-op’s success creates a ripple effect. “Buying our squid doesn’t just help one person, it uplifts the whole community,” he explains. The income earned supports families, helps parents put food on the table, and builds a sense of dignity among members.

Sustainability is at the heart of how they fish. “We don’t over-fish,” Mawanda says proudly. “We close the season to allow the squid to lay eggs and grow.” This careful stewardship ensures future generations will also benefit from the ocean.

The Siyaphambili co-op is more than a business, it’s a vehicle for transformation, restoring pride, purpose, and hope in a community long excluded from the formal fishing industry.

Cebo Mvubu
Vice-Chairperson
Siyaphambili Co-operative

Cebo Mvubu is a young leader from Hamburg and vice-chairperson of the Siyaphambili Co-operative. He believes strongly in the role the co-op plays in rebuilding local livelihoods. “Before, people had to leave for the cities to find work,” he says. “Now we’re creating opportunities right here.”

Cebo sees the co-op as more than a fishing operation – it’s a platform for education, sustainability, and shared purpose. Members receive training in management and marketing, learning how to run a business and protect the ocean that sustains them. “We only harvest the bigger squid and leave the small ones,” he explains. “That’s how we ensure the ocean can keep feeding us.”

For Cebo, selling squid is about more than income – it’s about impact. “When someone buys from us, they’re helping entire communities. It changes lives.”

He’s deeply concerned about offshore oil exploration by companies like Sasol, which threatens the waters they depend on. “This co-op is my dream,” he says. “We just want people to feel part of it.”