Elizabeth Mafekeng

Elizabeth Mafekeng (September 18, 1918 – May 28, 2009)[1] was a South African trade union and political leader who fought against the injustices suffered by the working class and against the racial segregation laws imposed by the apartheid system.

[3] Mafekeng's political career began in 1941, when the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) helped organise the Food and Canning Workers Union and improved working conditions.

[4] In January 1954, Mafekeng led an African Food and Canning Workers’ Union (AFCWU) strike in Wolseley for higher wages and better working conditions.

Later that year, she was elected as the president of AFCWU and sent as a delegate at the founding conference of the Federation of South African Women in Johannesburg.

[4] On 11 November 1959, the apartheid regime served Mafekeng with a deportation (banning) order shortly after she had led a huge demonstration in Paarl against an attempt to issue passes to African women.

[9] She fled to Lesotho where she endured harsh conditions as well as the heartbreak of being away from her children and husband; however, she continued working relentlessly to bring down apartheid rule.

[10] In 1990, Mafekeng returned to South Africa where she continued her involvement in the trade union movement until her retirement due to ill-health.