Dulcie Marie Hartwell (18 October 1915 – 30 October 2012) was a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

trade union leader. Born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, Hartwell's mother died when Dulcie was three years old. The family then struggled for money, and Hartwell had to leave school early. In 1933, she began working in the clothing industry, and joined the

Garment Workers' Union of South Africa The Garment Workers' Union of South Africa (GWU) was a trade union representing workers in the clothing industry in South Africa. The union was founded in 1909, as the Witwatersrand Tailors' Association, and its initial membership was focused on ...

(GWUSA). By 1937, she was working as an organiser for GWUSA, and was also secretary of the Johannesburg

Sweet Workers' Union The Sweet Workers' Union (SWU) was a small but long-lived union representing confectionery workers in South Africa. In 1925, a Women Workers' Union was established by F. Klenerman. It affiliated to the South African Trades Union Congress (SATUC), ...

. Hartwell worked closely with

Solly Sachs Emil Solomon “Solly” Sachs (11 November 1900 – 30 July 1976) was a South African trade unionist and an anti-apartheid activist. Early life Solly Sachs was born in 1900 in Kamai, Lithuania to Abraham Saks and Hannah Rivkin. His early childh ...

, the general secretary of GWUSA, and the two married in 1942. Hartwell next became secretary of the clothing industry unemployment fund, then its medical aid society. In 1951, Hartwell and Sachs separated. That year, she became general secretary of the

South African Trades and Labour Council The South African Trades and Labour Council (SAT&LC) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was founded in 1930, when the South African Trades Union Council merged with the Cape Federation of Labour Unions. ...

, then of its successor, the

Trade Union Council of South Africa The Trade Union Council of South Africa (TUCSA) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. History The council was founded in October 1954 by 61 unions which split from the South African Trades and Labour Council. They decided that on ...

, which excluded black workers. In 1962, she switched to become secretary of the

National Union of Distributive Workers The National Union of Distributive Workers (NUDW) was a trade union representing workers involved in retail and goods transport in South Africa. History The union was founded in 1936 by supporters of the South African Communist Party, to represen ...

and the National Union of Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers, then later the merged National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers. Hartwell retired to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

and died in 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartwell, Dulcie 1915 births 2012 deaths People from Johannesburg South African trade unionists