Kwanele Asante, a South African lawyer and bioethicist, has dedicated her life to advocating for the voices of patients to be heard in healthcare institutions. Born in 1969 in Meadowlands, Soweto, Asante's life has been defined by healthcare from a young age. Her parents met in a TB sanatorium, and she has spent years pushing local and global health institutions to listen to the people whose wellbeing their policies are meant to serve. Asante's journey has taken her from Soweto to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where she addressed the global meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health as a person with lived experience.
Asante's personal experience with breast cancer and subsequent illnesses has driven her advocacy work. Diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years ago, she has since been living with chronic treatment for chemotherapy-induced congestive heart failure, bipolar mood disorder, anxiety, and functional neurological disorder. Asante refuses to be defined by a single illness, instead viewing her experiences as a whole. Her approach to healthcare emphasizes the importance of considering patients' experiences and perspectives in policy-making.
Asante's early life was marked by poverty and challenges. Her parents divorced when she was five, and her mother, Lerato Nokoane, worked hard to provide for her and her younger brother. Asante's mother took a job as a teacher at Batswana Teacher's Training College in Mafeking, and later became a live-in boarding master to supplement her salary. The family's circumstances changed when Asante was in Grade 1, and they were forced to move out of their small room due to student protests.
A turning point in Asante's life came when she met Dineo Mpofu, a teacher at Diphetogo Primary School. Mpofu recognized Asante's potential and took her under her wing, helping her to develop her cursive writing skills and confidence. Asante's experience at BAT middle school, where she was taught by mostly white servicemen, also played a significant role in shaping her future. One teacher, Denzil Fincham, encouraged her to develop her public speaking skills, which would later become a valuable asset in her advocacy work.
Asante's family moved to Rooigrond Maximum Security Prison, where her mother worked as a senior officer. The prison's segregated living arrangements, with white prison officers living in opulent sections and black families in small houses, exposed Asante to the stark realities of racism and inequality in South Africa. These experiences likely influenced her later work in advocating for healthcare policies that address the needs of marginalized communities.
In September 2025, Asante addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, delivering the lived-experience address at a global meeting on NCDs and mental health. However, her health challenges continued, and she was forced to step back from activism after undergoing surgery to remove an inflamed appendix. Asante's experiences have informed her advocacy work, highlighting the need for healthcare institutions to listen to the voices of patients and consider their experiences in policy-making.
Asante's name has undergone several changes throughout her life, reflecting her growth and evolution. Born Anne Molebatsi Pooe, she later changed her name to Molebatsi Anne Pooe, then Molebatsi Pooe-Shongwe, before finally changing it to Kwanele Asante-Shongwe in 2012. Her professional life is marked by a commitment to advocating for patients' voices, and her work continues to inspire others to push for more inclusive and equitable healthcare policies.
Key points
- Kwanele Asante has spent two decades advocating for patients' voices to be heard in healthcare institutions, from local to global levels.
- Asante's personal experiences with breast cancer and subsequent illnesses have driven her advocacy work, emphasizing the importance of considering patients' experiences and perspectives in policy-making.
- Asante's work has taken her from Soweto to the United Nations General Assembly, highlighting the need for healthcare institutions to listen to the voices of patients and consider their experiences in policy-making.
