Lungile Zakwe is a proud activist for education, literature, and access to books with a keen interest in women’s empowerment. Lungile is the Founder, President, and Facilitator of AFRO-Freedom Book Club; a public book club that focuses on African writers to inspire dialogue and civic engagement in the community. She is an African feminist who strongly believes in the voice of Africans and the importance of women telling their own stories.

She is a founding NASCEE Board Member and her background in management, strategy, risk and operations, negotiations, and the provision of innovative solutions has enabled her to participate in the process of developing an action-based agenda for the Board. She has led two national and award-winning organisations; as Executive Director at Ikamva Youth as well as Chief Operations Officer and a National Manager at the Treatment Action Campaign.

Lungile has experience in the private sector as a Management Consultant at Accenture. She is a 2021 Future Elect Fellow, a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow for young African leaders, and a 2019 Coaching Fellow. Lungile is driven by her commitment to a free and equal society for all. She has been presented with honorary citizenship of Boone in North Carolina U.S.A. in recognition for her work and the leadership role she plays in civic engagement.

Lungile’s vision is to influence the direction and effect real change in education in South Africa. As a trained mindfulness teacher, she has high levels of emotional intelligence and motivation. She enjoys sharing knowledge and empowering organisations to deliver impact and strengthen their overall governance systems.