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Zikhona Valela

11 Sep, 12 tweets, 4 min read

We're still remembering Sharpeville? This massacre was the tipping point that led to armed struggle. The Pan Africanist Congress launched its military wing on this day in 1961. Nomvo Booi was the first woman to join Poqo which later became APLA. I want to talk about her.

Born and raised in Butterworth, umama studied dressmaking and later joined the ANC. She was among the Africanists who disagreed with the Freedom Charter. And on this premise joined the PAC under the leadership of Robert Sobukwe.

So the PAC is launched in 1959. Sharpeville and Langa Massacres happen in 1960 and a state of emergency follows. All liberation movements are banned now. We also need to talk about the many women who were jailed during the state of emergency of 1960, women like Josie Mpama, soon.

By this time umama is the regional secretary for the PAC in (what was then) the Transkei and a lot of her activities were carried out there. The Eastern and Western Cape were a massive stronghold of the PAC during the struggle.

Poqokazi, as she was known becomes the first woman arrested eNgcobo for underground activities in 1963 after raid. She was charged months after her initial arrest under the Suppression of Communism Act. She was detained in three prisons: Baberton, Nylstrom, Kroonstad.

She serves her sentence & is released in 1969. She goes into exile first to Lesotho, then Tanzania and then Zimbabwe where she received military training and headed up the welfare section. She also organized Sobukwe's tombstones unveiling in 1979.

When the PAC obtained observer status in the UN general assembly, she was of those who attended on it's behalf. Another prominent figure in the movement who did this was David Sibeko.

Poqokazi returned to South Africa in 1992. The last years of her life were spent eMonti where she passed away on 7 May 2016 9 days shy of her 87th birthday.

Fortunately she wrote her memoir. Unfortunately I haven't seen it anywhere (very disappointing). She also personally delivered PAC archives to Fort Hare where they are locked up for the next 50 or so years. I don't like that. The PAC must reconsider this decision. We want to see.

Here's some further reading thanks to Jaki Seroke who cites more women who were part of APLA. The PAC must please givery us access to the archive so we can flash out their contributions. mayihlomenews.co.za/in-loving-memo…

Here's the most recent writing on Mam' Nomvo thanks to Zaza Hlalethwa. Only two pieces of public writing. We should be ashamed honestly. google.com/amp/s/mg.co.za…

I want us to return to this image. Umama said no to camouflage and came through dripping in monochrome 😍

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More from @valavoosh

Zikhona Valela

@valavoosh

12 Sep

Seeing images of Biko's lifeless body on the TL so let me just do a cleanse. I'll start with this image supplied by historian and librarian Mwelela Cele from his family archive for New Frame. This was taken in 1969 at a birthday party.

The image above was taken in Durban.

"Meet my lady. She is the embodiment of Blackness- Black is Beautiful" how Steve introduced Ntsiki Mashalaba (later Biko, after they married in 1970). Tsi! Meanwhile ubhuti was creepin'.

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Zikhona Valela

@valavoosh

7 Sep

Today marks the 28th anniversary of the Bhisho Massacre. 80 000 people gathered on the Ciskei border on this day demanding an end to Joshua Gqozo's government. They were led by Chris Hani, Cyril Ramaphosa (👀), Steve Tshwete and Ronnie Kasrils.

As they marched toward the capital (Bhisho) Ciskei soldiers opened fire killing 28 people. This event took place 3 months shy of the Boipatong massacre. And like the Sharpeville massacre, people were shot in the back. They were running away and those soldiers murdered them.

Marchers moving from Victoria grounds eQonce towards Bhisho 📸: Daily Dispatch archives.

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Zikhona Valela

@valavoosh

20 Aug

The United Democratic Front was founded on this day in 1983. My thread focusses on the women who played a role in it's strictures. One of the two keynote speakers on this day was Frances Baard. Ma Baard's activism began in the 40s in PE. She was also a member of FSAW.

At the time of its founding, Albertina Sisulu was in prison. But she was elected among the UDF's founding presidents. Out of the three she was the only woman. Ma Sisulu was also a member of FSAW. Like Ma Baard she marched to the union buildings on 9 August 1956.

The founding of the UDF also saw Women's movements being re-established or created. This is theologian Sister Bernard Ncube who went on to become the first president of Fedtraw. She also created a number of women's organizations in what was then Transvaal.

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Zikhona Valela

@valavoosh

17 Aug

It's Marcus Garvey's birthday. The UNIA he co-founded was a political home to Malcolm X's mother, Louise Little and his ideas influenced the work of people like Shirley Graham Du Bois, specifically her opera Tom Tom. But I want to talk about two women in his life.

I doubt it's possible to reflect on the inclusion of women in Garvey's movement without the role his first wife, Amy Ashwood Garvey played. Ashwood Garvey cofounded the newspaper Negro World with her ex husband, Marcus and also went on to co-found UNIA.

After her separation from Garvey, she co-founded the International African Service bureau with CLR James and Jomo Kenyatta and others and would later organize the Pan African Congress in 1945 with Kwame Nkrumah. All these were in aide of anti-colonial struggles on the continent.

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Zikhona Valela

@valavoosh

9 Aug

In honor of women's day, here's a thread on women we should know. This is not limited to this day in 1956 to show that women have been a mainstay in the struggle for liberation. First up, Charlotte Maxeke who led the first anti-pass march on 23 September 1913.

Maxeke is the founder of the Bantu Women's Leauge which eventually became the ANCWL. She led a group of women outraged at their petitions falling on deaf ears. They marched into Bloem, burned passes and swore at police officers. They sparked civil disobedience for days later.

The anti-pass campaign was a series of protests last several years but leading to withdrawal of pass laws of the time.

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Zikhona Valela

@valavoosh

1 Aug

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the assassination of Nonyamezelo Victoria Mxenge (a midwife, activist and attorney) just days after delivering her keynote speech at the funeral of the Cradock 4 (Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe, Sicelo Mhlauli, Sparrow Mkhonto).

She was murdered in front of her children by vlakplaas thugs in front of her children, four years after her husband Griffiths Mxenge was killed by the same murder squad. Griffiths was a lawyer who'd established a firm in Durban. After his death, Victoria headed said firm up.

As an activist umama occupied leadership positions in the KZN section of the United Democratic Front, and in the Natal Organisation of women. As a lawyer she defended young activists making her target for assassination. She also set up a scholarship in memory of her husband.

Read 8 tweets

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