Nomvula Mokgethi

Transformed South Africa's water management through grassroots activism and engineering innovation

Nomvula Mokgethi is a civil engineer and environmental activist who pioneered community-driven water management systems in South Africa. As former Water and Environmental Affairs Minister (2004-2009), she implemented the groundbreaking National Water Resource Strategy, which decentralized water governance to empower local communities. Her work ensured 80% of rural South Africans gained access to clean water by 2015.

Mokgethi developed low-cost rainwater harvesting systems using locally sourced materials, reducing dependency on centralized infrastructure. She created the Water for All initiative that trained 15,000 community water managers across 12 provinces. Her 'water equity audits' exposed systemic discrimination in water allocation, leading to landmark court rulings in favor of rural communities.

Her 2018 TED Talk "Water is life: Why South Africa's water access is so unequal" has over 1.2 million views. She received the Stockholm Water Prize in 2021 for her contributions to equitable water management in developing nations.