Yaya Mavundla is a South African artist, media personality and transgender activist known for bringing conversations about identity and visibility into art, television and public life.
Growing up in rural KwaZulu-Natal, she had few examples of transgender women to look up to. Years later, she would become one of the visible figures she once wished she could see.
Finding Her Own Voice
Yaya has spoken about reaching adulthood without always having the language to describe her identity. Moving beyond her rural upbringing introduced her to new communities and eventually helped her understand herself as a transgender woman.
Instead of keeping that journey private, she began using her experiences to encourage conversations about transgender lives in South Africa.
Art, Television and Visibility
Yaya's work has crossed several creative spaces. She appeared on the reality series Becoming, developed the Queer Comfort clothing line and has used exhibitions and other projects to explore Black transgender experiences.
Her work has continued to grow. In 2026, she curated an exhibition at Johannesburg's Constitution Hill featuring photographs by visual activist Zanele Muholi.
Creating What She Once Needed
For Yaya, visibility is not simply about being seen. Her work focuses on creating space for transgender people to tell their own stories and see themselves represented.
From rural KwaZulu-Natal to television, exhibitions and public stages, she has turned her own search for representation into creative work that helps make others more visible.
Positive Video Story
Yaya tells her story herself in the 2024 TEDx talk “A transgender woman's fight for visibility.” She discusses growing up without representation, discovering herself and eventually using advocacy to increase transgender visibility. The video is published by the verified TEDx Talks channel.