Constance Mogale
“I work as a campaigner for land reform and the promotion of social justice, especially the rights of the marginalised women in the rural areas. I do this work to ensure that the marginalised voices especially, Black women and children, are audible in policy spaces.”
I, Constance Mogale, am an experienced South African land activist who has played leading roles in several campaigns and initiatives. I was part of the group that formed the Network on Violence Against Women and led a campaign for the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act in 1999. In 2001, I came to lead a grassroots movement called the Land Access Movement of South Africa (LAMOSA), a federation of communities claiming land through restitution, and an organisation that challenged the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act of 2014. I felt vulnerable moving to the city centre of Johannesburg, working as the head of the movement and having to prove my ability to run it effectively as a young, rural Black girl with no knowledge of life in the city. I stayed in Soweto, commuting to work by taxis—which meant that I could not attend most meetings outside the vicinity of the city centre and could not participate in important decision-making spaces attended by other directors. Yet I sat on the board of directors, which was 80% white, and I was the only Black South African woman on the board. Additionally, I travelled and served in regional and international committees. Working in the civil service organisation space built my capacity in human resources management, fundraising and other management competencies, and I give credit to the members of LAMOSA for teaching me these skills. I also have extensive experience in facilitation and participatory research. I am currently coordinating the Alliance for Rural Democracy, a loose network of organisations campaigning for land rights, mining-affected communities and livelihoods in South Africa. I am currently a postgraduate student of economic management science at the University of Western Cape.