Summary: Rene Ackerman, a health worker and the mother of two, organises and mobilises health care workers to challenge unfair labour practice in her community. She is the elected secretary of the Heideveld-Mannenburg Health Committee and the branch organiser for the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers. Her work often exposes her to gang violence and reduces her attention to her children.

Profile: In 2011, Rene Ackerman moved to Heideveld, a community southeast of Cape Town, to stay with her mother. It was during this time that she developed a deep love for working with the elderly in her community.

Since then, with over a decade working as a community health worker, Ackerman has become very familiar with the struggles faced by marginalised communities. As a community healthcare worker for a local organisation, her work involved caring for the elderly by offering personal hygiene, wound care, bereavement adherence, nutritional support, and palliative care.

“Working in the community,” she says, “I got to see firsthand what people went through—their struggles . . . I saw that there was a need and that people look to someone for answers. Even though I don't have it all, I try my best to do what I can.”

This marked the beginning of Ackerman's activism. She was elected twice to be the secretary for the Heideveld-Mannenburg Health Forum, a platform that advocates for community health and fair labour practice for healthcare workers. She has organised meetings, workshops, and various events to educate her community on critical health issues and fellow workers on their rights. Ackerman wants the South African government to recognise and give permanent employment to community healthcare workers.

In 2024, Ackerman was elected as the Cape Flats branch organiser for the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers. She is responsible for organising marches, mobilizing, and picketing, as well as recruiting new members. She is a strong believer in people-centered activism: Only if people unite, she asserts, can they transform the world.

There are obstacles, however. Heideveld is one of the areas on the Cape flats rocked by gang violence, and Ackerman is certainly vulnerable to that. At a time when others fear to work in the streets and give help to those most in need, Ackerman continues to support the elderly and help fellow workers to resist labor exploitation. In addition, as a single mother of two, she often has to leave her children behind when attending community meetings.

Ackerman believes that as a community healthcare worker and organiser, she has made an impact:

“As a health committee member, I have made an impact in improving health service in my community. Also being able to be there to assist patients in various ways makes a huge difference, and I feel that the impact I leave behind will be worth the struggles not just for now but for generations to come.” Her vision is “a world where communities stand up for their rights and stand together, where our children know that they can do whatever they set their mind to do.”