Phumi Mtetwa

Phumi is an experienced activist working on issues of economic, gender and LGBTI justice. An internationalist, she has been based in South Africa and Ecuador since the beginning of her political career in 1985.

Her work has included organising rent boycotts to combat Apartheid and mobilising against the Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement. She was part of the group of activists that worked to enshrine the rights to equality, dignity and freedom for all in the South African Constitution.

The fellowship has allowed her to gather together lessons from the process that led to the strong protections for LGBTI communities in the South African constitution. She hopes to use this to extrapolate lessons for struggles today in South Africa and other parts of the global South where the example of the South African constitution is so powerful.