Nomzamo Mbatha, the South African actress and humanitarian, recently took the stage at the TIME Women of the Year Leadership Forum in Los Angeles, California. She expressed her excitement about the opportunity on social media, saying, “On today’s agenda… Honored to be speaking @TIME at the Women of The Year Leadership forum.”
Reported by TIME, the forum took place on Tuesday and focused on how women are leading the way in driving climate solutions in various sectors, including corporate spaces, local communities, and the Global South. Mbatha was joined on stage by notable panelists such as actress, entrepreneur, and activist Sophia Bush, and Kara Hurst, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon and a previous TIME100 Climate honouree.
The event highlighted the critical importance of involving marginalised communities in climate change conversations. One of the forum’s speakers, Walton, who was also a 2023 TIME Earth Award honouree, spoke about the aftermath of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in her former community of Altadena. She saw firsthand how these communities came together to support each other. Walton emphasised the need for more support for those most impacted by climate change, especially communities that are often excluded from these important discussions.
Mbatha, whose activism spans across continents, reminded the forum that women in the Global South, particularly Africa, are already coming up with innovative climate solutions. However, she pointed out that these solutions often lack the funding required to scale them up. She spoke passionately about her advocacy work, aiming to connect these innovators with the funding they need, and convincing brands to invest in impactful solutions.
“There’s also a very big mistake that when we look at the African continent, there’s a ‘charitability’ element to it. There’s an economy there—very successful, very rich in investment, but also incredible potential as well,” Mbatha said during her speech. “I believe in throwing out the net and saying ‘these are the ways that you can be able to partner with local communities.’”
Mbatha’s message resonated with many at the forum, as she called for greater recognition of Africa’s potential and the need to support local initiatives rather than viewing them solely through the lens of charity.
