PIONEER
Ida Mntwana
Human rights activist | ANC Women’s League President | Federation of South African Women President
Born: 5 August 1903 Died: 1960
“We know that as women we have many problems which hold us back from taking part fully in the struggle, and it is precisely for that purpose that we have come to break down these problems. Let us come out as a united force, let us take our place in the struggle for freedom … if we all put our shoulders to the wheel, the time will come when we will be proud of the acts of women. Let us unite, let us go forward with courage and determination.”
Who is
Ida Mntwana?
A defendant in the Treason Trial, she was the first President of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) and a leader of the anti-pass demonstrations.
Professions
and Roles
Anti-apartheid activist and ANC politician.
Best Known For
First President of the ANCWL.
Life highlights
- Mntwana worked as a dressmaker before she became involved in the anti-apartheid struggle.
- Mntwana was appointed as the first President of the ANCWL in 1949.
- She was elected into the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) during the 1950s.
- Mntwana was elected as national president of the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) in 1954.
- She was one of the leaders of the anti-pass demonstrations in the 1950s. instrumental in organising the Congress of the People and was one of the defendants in the Treason Trial.
- Mntwana earned a posthumous Order for Meritorious Service in 2003.
When South Africa’s Women’s Monument was unveiled on 9 August 2000, Mntwana was among those women cited as “torchbearers” during President Thabo Mbeki’s address.
References
