Synopsis
First African woman member of the Communist Party of South Africa in Langa, member of the African National Congress Womens League, Federation of South African Women, founder of the Langa Women’s Vigilance Association, national vice-president of the National Council of African Women (NCAW) and political prisoner
First name
Winifred
Last name
Seqwana
Date of birth
1897
Date of death
1961
Location of death
Langa, Cape Town, Cape Province (now Western Cape Province)
Gender
female
Winifred Seqwana was born in 1897 and settled in Cape Town, where she became the first African woman member of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) in Langa in 1930. She became increasingly involved in political activity in the region and was a founder of the Langa Women’s Vigilance Association. In March 1947, Seqwana was arrested for her part in a protest opposing the introduction of beer halls in Langa, but was later acquitted. Two people died during the protest, and municipal beer halls were not introduced until May 1962. She became chairwoman of the African National Congress Womens League (ANCWL) in Langa in 1954, a founding member of Federation of South African Women (FSAW) in the same year and national vice-president of the National Council of African Women (NCAW). Winifred died in Langa, Cape Province in 1961.