History of Women’s struggle in South Africa

Trade unionist

Singer and educationist

first woman trade unionist, first woman printer and first woman city councillor.

Social anthropologist, academic, member of the SAIRR and the Progressive Party

Member of the ANC, Political prisoner, Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. 

Trade unionist and interntiona co-ordinator of StreetNet

Journalist

Teacher, member of SASO and the ANC, head of the Medu Arts Ensemble (Gaborone), Member of COSAW, Secretary General of th...

Medical doctor and surgeon who pioneered techniques of diagnosing suspected leprosy, worked with leprosy patients in var...

Artist

Trade Unionist

Teacher, lecturer, member of UDF and President of NOW, ANC politician and Deputy President of South Africa.  

ANC member and a leader of Orange Free State women in the anti-pass campaign

A suffragette and civil rights activist of the Cape Colony.

Activist, Teacher, Director: Research coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation at Department of Basic Education. 

Jeanie Noel was born in Durban as one of twelve children, however her family was fortunate enough to own prope...

Musician 

Member of the ANC, member of the executive committee of the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW), defend...

South African artist.

First female judge to be appointed permanently to the appellate division of the South African Supreme Court.

First president of the African National Congress Women’s League, elected to the ANC Executive Committee, National ...

Secretary General of the Sophiatown branch of the ANC, represented the ANC Women’s Section at the Women’s International ...

Political activist, political prisoner, organised women resisters from the Asiatic Bazaar for the 1946 Passive Resistanc...

Trade unionist and shop steward for the Garment Workers’ Union, elected to the Transvaal executive of the African Nation...

Trade Unionist, General Secretary of the Garment Worker’s Union 

Trade unionist, member of the SACP, political activist, political prisoner, banned person and exile.

Political activist, banned person, political prisoner, member of the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress, Federation of Sout...

Political activist, political prisoner, imprisoned  during  the Indian Passive Resistance Campaign and the 1952 Campaign...

Arrested and detained for political activities

Trade unionist, National Vice-President of the ANC Women's League and member of the National Executive Committe...

Teacher.

Wilman studied botany at the University of Cambridge, which she completed in 1888 when she received a certificate. It wa...

Historian and lecturer

Founder member and first president of the Black Sash in 1955, led the organization until 1975, recipient of the Governme...

Architect

President of the Grahamstown branch of the South African Association of University Women

First Black matron for the Natal Provincial Administration

Feminist writer and activist

History is not kind to Nongqawuse. What we know of her is mainly related to the Cattle-Killing/Millenarian Movement o...

South african freedom fighter,activist,actor,story teller,poet,playwright, director and author