OCEAN CONSERVATION7 AUG 2026The ocean belongs to everyoneZandile Ndhlovu, known as the “Black Mermaid” and South Africa’s first black female certified freediving instructor, is dedicated to reconnecting children and historically…Sheree Bega3 min read

Black Mermaid Zandile Ndhlovu is helping children rediscover an inheritance she believes has always been theirs “The ocean belongs to everyone.” It’s a simple statement but one Zandile Ndhlovu believes South Africans have forgotten. Widely known as the “Black Mermaid”, South Africa’s first black female certified freediving instructor and founder of the Black Mermaid Foundation, Ndhlovu is on a mission to reconnect children and historically excluded communities with the ocean and help them rediscover something she believes has always been theirs. “The ocean is our inheritance in the same way these mountains, rivers and the soil are ours.

It is part of our heritage so when I think of South Africa, a lot of people believe that the ocean and water are ‘white people’s things’.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth, she says. “That’s just framed around environment and access and perhaps to a certain level, privilege. But the truth is the ocean has always belonged to all of us.

“Our grandmothers used ocean water to heal and cleanse. I think we’ve forgotten that this is our home too. “I often find it interesting that some people say: ‘Zandie, I could never dive but I find such peace when I’m right by the ocean, just staring at it.’ It’s because we all know, we all remember, we’re all calmed by it because it is home to all of us.

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“We need to realise that limiting narratives only holds us back from the divine. That’s criminal. We need to find ways to build bridges and remember.’ It was a young girl from Langa taking part in one of the foundation’s programmes.

“She was tiny and terrified. She held my hand so tightly as we floated together, counting to three before looking underwater. Then to five. Then to 10.

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