Edwin Thabo Mofutsanyana

Mofutsanyana became an active member of the Communist Party of South Africa and the African National Congress.

[3] Mofutsanyana joined the South African Native National Congress in 1921 and subsequently left his job as a miner to take up full-time employment at the organisation.

Mofutsanyana had been motivated to join the SANNC after an incident involving his friend, Jacob Majoro.

Shields had called for the working class, particularly Black South Africans, to fight for their rights to rule.

[5] Shortly thereafter, on 16 December 1929, Mofutsanyana organised a protest march in Potchefstroom against the pass laws.

A week later, Mofutsanyana led a march of unemployed workers to the Johannesburg offices of George Ballended, who was in charge of the Township (South Africa) where Black people were housed, to demand better living conditions.

In 1954, she helped found the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) together with Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and many others.

[9] In the 1930s, Black South Africans were flown to Moscow for a period of two years to learn about communism and ways to fight capitalism.

[10] [11] In 1933, Mofutsanyana enrolled at the International Lenin School and was placed in the Negro section together with other Black students from other countries.

Under Alfred Bitini Xuma, Mofutsanyana served on the ANC National Executive Committee as an advisor on labour related matters.

The organisation was founded due to difficulties experienced by Black workers who had hitherto been working with White unions.

[16] When the CPSA was banned in 1950, Mofutsanyana had been serving on its executive committee and was also on the forefront when the South African Communist Party was established.