Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka is an agriculturalist who focuses on indigenous health systems and knowledge, and she’s an established author. In 2019 she returned to her home village with the aim of uplifting the people living there, and she’s doing just that.
In 2020, she founded the Xhosa beading company Hombacrafts to preserve indigenous crafts and provide people with income-generating opportunities.
In 2023 she established Zidlo Farms Cooperative to generate more employment and enhance food security in the area. Hombakazi is now pursuing a doctorate in health sciences, which focuses on indigenous knowledge and health systems. She also shares her expertise internationally, and was an exchange lecturer in the Netherlands at Utrecht University College in 2023.
She has already written three books: The Dissonant Rainbow (2019), To My Young Self (2020) and Don’t Upset ooMalume: A Guide to Stepping Up Your Xhosa Game (2022), her most recent work, which celebrates Xhosa culture. Hombakazi was in July this year welcomed into the Global Atlantic Fellows Annual Convening at Rhodes House, Oxford, in recognition of her change-making qualities.
Her goal is to motivate and inspire others to pursue their dreams, even if they come from marginalised backgrounds. Hombakazi’s journey of resilience, innovation and community empowerment serves as an inspiration locally and globally.
The name of the organisation at which you work
Stellenbosch University
Your educational background, listing your qualifications and institutions, if any:
- Double master’s in Agriculture Climate Change Transition, National University of Ireland and SupAgro, Montpellier, France
- BSc Honours in Soil Science, University of Fort Hare
- BSc in Crop and Soil Science, University of Fort Hare
Your greatest achievement
Hombakazi is proud of having published three books before the age of 35 and also being enrolled for a PhD in the topic of indigenous knowledge systems.