Meet Andy Kawa

Andy Kawa is a survivor, activist dedicated to ending gender-based violence. Her mission is to unite all who are impacted—victims, survivors, families—and rally civil society, businesses, faith communities, the legal system, and government into action. Working together, we will drive change through powerful talks, bold activism, transformative education, and strategic lobbying for policies and laws that protect and uplift those affected. Our collective efforts will build a future where safety, dignity, and justice are the norm for all.

She has had a successful career in business for over 20 years in the USA, UK and SA as an executive, director, non-executive director for more than ten listed companies. Andy was Chairman Interwaste Holdings, Vice Chairman of The Jewellery Council of South Africa, Council member of the Walter Sisulu University, Vice Chairman of the Walter Sisulu Foundation and Chairman of Chuma Holdings.

In 2002 she founded Chuma Holdings, a women-led investment company with interests in mining. She further held investments in financial services and gold reclamation dumps.

Unfortunately, her entrepreneurial activities were cut short by a horrendous ordeal which completely changed the direction of her life. She was abducted for 15 hours, gang-raped and nearly killed. Her case was not properly investigated, which is a norm in South Africa, where less than 4% of reported rape and sexual offences cases do not go to trial because of the inefficient, wrongful and substandard investigative work by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

She swapped her business and boardroom roles to be an activist in the forefront of pickets, marches and conferences against gender-based violence (GBV) and also fighting for GBV cases to be properly investigated, tried and prosecuted in SA. She represented South Africa in the 60th UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) in New York. This is all documented in a book she authored called: Kwanele Enough: My battle with the South African E Services to get justice for women.
In 2012, frustrated at the lack of action and mindful of the generally dismal state of prevention and enforcement in the realm of GBV, she instituted a negligence case in the Port Elizabeth High Court against the Minister of Police. Six years later, in 2018, the High Court found in her favour.

But the journey to justice was far from over. Alarmed at the implications of the judgement, the police appealed; in 2020 the Supreme Court overturned the High Court’s judgement. She went all the way to the Constitutional Court, arguing that her case raised significant constitutional questions. 10 years later on April 5, 2022, she finally got what she had been looking for on behalf also of the millions of victims of GBV: a landmark judgment that emphasises the constitutional duties on SAPS to protect women and children, and to promote and fulfil the objectives of the Constitution. It sets a precedent for South African jurisprudence and internationally.

She founded the Kwanele-Enuf Foundation (Kwanele means “enough” in IsiXhosa). She launched the Kwanele-Enuf Zero Tolerance Campaign against gender-based violence at universities. A similar concept to that of President Obama – It’s on us – initiative to end sexual assaults at colleges and universities. Universities were and still are faced with a scourge of gender-based violence. The intention was to roll out the campaign to all 27 universities and 50 Technical Vocational Education and Training Colleges. She worked with a body called Higher Education South Africa (HESA) where all Principals and Vice Chancellors of universities sit. HESA endorsed the campaign, and it was initially launched at five universities: Nelson Mandela University, University of Johannesburg, University of South Africa, University of the Free State and the Vaal University of Technology. This was a big collaborative project that she brought to the universities in South Africa. There is still much to be done.

Through her resilience and leadership in fighting an unresponsive judiciary when it comes to cases of gender-based violence, the Nelson Mandela Bay Development Agency, in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan, decided to plough over R60 million to accelerate an infrastructure and upgrade on the very same beach that she fell victim to. The project was to make the beach safe. She partook in the sod turning ceremony with the Mayor of the Metro and in 2014 a plaque was erected at the entrance of the beach in her honour marking the very beach a “safe zone”.

Her mission is to end gender-based violence by holding systems accountable and empowering survivors to reclaim their voices. Through the Kwanele-Enuf Foundation, I will continue to challenge injustice, raise awareness, and drive meaningful change so that no woman must endure what she did. She is committed to turning her pain into power and leading a movement that ensures safety, dignity, and justice for all.

Media

Milestones & Achievements

In recognition of Andy Kawa’s achievements: