MITCHELLS Plain philanthropist Zeenat Isaacs, 37, is up for an international award at this year’s She Inspires 2025 award in England.
Zeenat is nominated for a Global Agent of Change and Global Shero Award which will take place on 20 November 2025 at the Premier Suite, Bolton Stadium Hotel in Horwich, England.
However, this is not her first rodeo as she has 14 prestigious locally and internationally awards, including the City of Cape Town Mayoral Recognition Award, Inspirational Woman Award USA and the Global Citizen Change Maker Award to name a few.
The Kapenaar says: “I'm deeply honored for the Global recognition. As a multidisciplinary artist and program director who has spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives that marry environmental consciousness with economic empowerment.
"My upcycling interventions in disadvantaged communities including those living with disabilities was also a testament to my belief that everyone deserves a chance to thrive.
"My interventions don’t just recycle materials; they upcycle lives. By offering skills training, access to markets, and creative expression, I have transformed waste into value and despair into dignity.”
Her work is not just in and around Cape Town, but anywhere in South Africa and abroad in the under-served impoverished communities.
In 2016 she founded the Supporting Mentorship Through Art (Sm-art) programme, aiming to empower underprivileged individuals through skills development by providing training in all art forms, including visual,arts,dance, film, theatre, poetry, photography and videography.
When she is not giving back, she is an advocate for women and children’s rights and offers mentorship training for aspiring artists and runs an anti-bullying campaign and has roughly impacted over 100 000 lives across communities so far.