Mary-Ann Nobele

Mary-Ann Nobele was raised by her single mother, and spent most of her life living in Alexandra with her grandparents, aunt, uncle and younger sister. Her family is very diverse and so she was raised around many different ethnic groups.

In 2015 she was introduced to Bigger Than Life, a group of young people who worked at Alex fm. Initially she saw this as a stepping stone to the lime light and fame. As time went on, she realised that being a broadcaster is actually a lot of work but despite that, she fell in even deeper love with it. A lot of people who know her have suggested she studied Law, because she has always been good at advocating for what she is passionate about. Therefore, going into the broadcasting space and working in radio has allowed her to do that on a platform that suits her and reaches a large number of people, people who are misinformed and people whose voices aren’t heard. She does wish to remain in the broadcasting space, but to reach greater crowds as well as address national issues without forgetting local ones.

She currently works for an organization called Gun Free SA which aims to make South Africa safer by reducing gun violence. This work is important to her because by being on the ground, she gets to see the lived reality of marginalized South Africans which is something she feels a lot of privileged people don’t fully acknowledge.

The NGO sector has played a big role in shaping her into the young lady she is today and so she aims to encourage young people to jump at any opportunity they get. In a few years’ time she hopes to become a big deal in the broadcasting space and to have started her own NGO.