Happenings - Our Stories

Claire Janisch is the owner of Biomimicry SA and a qualified chemical engineer in industrial ecology. She took to our virtual stage for “Humanity Aligning Closer to Nature” - Conversation 5 of Intersections of Change - to discuss biomimicry and the impressive role mimicking nature can have in solving problems.

This conversation aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the human position in the biosphere and how we can make the necessary changes to protect our planet.

Ian McCallum, an analytical psychologist, writer and specialist wilderness guide took to our virtual stage for “Humanity Aligning Closer to Nature”, Conversation 5 of Intersections of Change, to discuss four key challenges facing our species.
This conversation aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the human position in the biosphere and how we can make the necessary changes to protect our planet.

Dr Eve, past TEDxCapeTown speaker, a couple and sex therapist and acclaimed author, joined Conversation 4 of our Intersections of Change digital series to speak to our “Decade of Womxn” theme.

She joined our panel of forefront gender activists and gender equality thought leaders to give us her insight on how we can achieve the UN’s gender equality goals by 2030.

Shimmy Isaacs, award-winning comedienne, actress and writer, joined Conversation 4 of our Intersections of Change digital series to speak to our “Decade of Womxn” theme, and encourage womxn to claim their voices and speak up.

The 'Decade of Womxn" panel of forefront gender activists and gender equality thought leaders gave us insights on how we can achieve the UN’s gender equality goals by 2030.

Dr. Sindiwe Magona, past TEDxCapeTownWomen speaker, author and teacher, joined Conversation 4 of our Intersections of Change digital series to speak to our “Decade of Womxn” theme.

She joined our panel of forefront gender activists and gender equality thought leaders to give us her insight on how we can achieve the UN’s gender equality goals by 2030. According to Dr. Magona, it starts with grabbing hold of your narrative.

Behind each of our events is a group of dedicated volunteers or, as we like to call them: the #HumansBehindTEDxCapeTown. Get to know who they are, what they do and what keeps them going through this series of interviews. Say hello to Sarka Svoboda from our Brand Communications team.

Velani Mboweni is the Co-Founder and CEO of LULA, an award-winning mobility startup that connects company commuters to private shuttles to enable sustainable and productive commuting in Africa.

This serial entrepreneur started his journey 13 years ago, when he sold airtime to classmates via SMS-based protocol apps. Velani went on to start two more ventures - an assignment delivery business at the University of Cape Town and a social venture called Phambili Mzansi.

Lusanda Worsley is well known in the South African advertising space as a strategist, entrepreneur, and innovative leader of Empire Experiential. She began Empire Experiential to provide a platform for young African talented creatives to grow and innovate. 

Caitlyn Roux is a speaker, Brand Strategy Honours graduate from the Vega school, and Transformation Life Coach in the making. She took to the [email protected] stage in 2017 with a talk that has since been viewed 1.2 million times, “Self-Love, be Intentional” and reminded thousands of people about the importance of prioritising a relationship with oneself.

Vuyo Joboda is a Global Author, Entrepreneur, International speaker, Talk-show host, Producer, Director, MC currently studying film and media at The University of Cape Town. She is also the proud Founder and CEO of VN (The Vuyo Joboda Network).

[Featured at our #JoinTheCountdown event: How we can change so that the climate doesn't have to]
Joshua is a retired mining engineer, serial business builder, business trainer, coach, and mentor. He is the Founder and Chief Enabler of Enterprising Africa Regional Network (Pty) Limited (EARN),  purpose-driven organisation, with a goal to create global impact through the development of a new generation of successful African Entrepreneurs.

[Featured at our #JoinTheCountdown event: How we can change so that the climate doesn't have to]
Candice Mostert is the founder of Waste-ED, and runs an education and action based project. Waste-ED implement and manage waste to resource systems as well as collect and build with ecobricks.

[Featured at our #JoinTheCountdown event: How we can change so that the climate doesn't have to]
Andrew Ardington is the founder of RegenAg SA, The Regenerative Agricultural Association of South Africa, a nonprofit, education, and advocacy organisation that is working to stop the catastrophic consequences of Industrial Agriculture by facilitating farmers and consumers in transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture.

[Featured at our #JoinTheCountdown event: How we can change so that the climate doesn't have to]
Chad Robertson, CEO and Co-Founder of Regenize, is a social entrepreneur from Cape Town, focused on creating solutions that result in positive social and environmental impact using technology and innovation.

[Featured at our #JoinTheCountdown event: How we can change so that the climate doesn't have to]
Bronwyn Jones is the owner of Bokashi Bran, an environmentally concerned bokashi manufacturer aimed at reducing global warming through diverting food waste from landfills.

[Featured at our #JoinTheCountdown event: How we can change so that the climate doesn't have to]

Abe Cambridge is a serial energy entrepreneur with an academic background in climate science and solar energy. He is one of ESI Africa's "African Energy Elites" and the company he founded, Sun Exchange, was named one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Africa by Fast Company for its disruptive approach to solar finance.

We've selected messages and ideas from past TEDxCapeTown speakers that remind us where we come from, where we've been and where we are going.

On Saturday, 26 September 2020, [email protected] hosted their first TED Circle, an engaging discussion about online hate and how to deal with it with TEDx friends from @[email protected], and audience members from 5 different countries!

Zolani Mahola - aka The One Who Sings - is a multi award-winning musician, public speaker and actress best known as lead singer of the Pan-African supergroup Freshlyground. As of January 2020, she embarked on a solo career that saw her collaborate with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and a plethora of African artists and organisations. Since her TEDxCapeTown talk on our stage in 2014, she has crystallised her life’s work as an advocate for creative force for social good. She will share her take on using creativity to make a positive impact on society.

Winslow Schalkwyk - is an artist, spoken word writer, performer and producer that has evolved since his performance on the TEDxCapeTown stage. He shared his perspective and experience on the topic of Unlearning, as showcased via his latest production, SUGARWATER which was featured as part of the 2020 digital line-up for the National Arts Festival 2020. We had the pleasure of watching a reboot of his poem, “What we play, is life”, that was specifically written for the TEDxCapeTown stage in 2012.

Mel Mwevi - is a storyteller, singer-songwriter, performance poet, scriptwriter and actor from Namibia. “Hear to Listen” was her thought-provoking contribution to the TEDxCapeTown stage in 2016. During Lockdown, Mel put together a visual poem, in collaboration with visual artist and her husband Martin Amushendje - as a response to the National Theatre of Namibia's call for artists to speak on human rights issues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of our Intersections of Change digital programme, Conversation Three: Creativity Inspires Hope, Mel unpacked her journey of creating this visual poem and the deeper meaning behind the name, “Rest... a Human Right?”

Roeshdien Jaz joined us on our virtual stage to talk about how creativity has inspired hope for him, since 2012. Roeshdien was diagnosed with colon cancer then, and his journey of self-reflection includes unpacking the power of Integral Emotional Intelligence (EQ/EI) and how elevating one's emotional intelligence can literally “save” your life (Self-awareness/ Self-management/ Social awareness/ Relationship management).

70% of the TEDxCapeTown 2020 active volunteer team includes Womxn from diverse backgrounds. We took a moment to shine a light on our womxn volunteers and asked them to share some key Lockdown Lessons.

While it remains true that this pandemic has been tough, we’ve been thinking about how - despite the challenges, unknowns and worry - we all can make positive changes for ourselves, our communities and the world we live in.

Here are 8 simple ways you can make a difference while staying home and safe.

Richard Mulholland is no stranger to the TEDxCapeTown stage. He’s an accomplished speaker with innovative ideas on how to move your business “forward to normal” during this pandemic.
During his insightful conversation, Rich shared the five valuable steps he’s currently using to help his business move forward.