Dorothy Nomzansi Nyembe (December 31, 1931 – December 17, 1998) was a South African activist and politician.

Biography

Born near

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

, Nyembe was the daughter of Leeya Basolise Nyembe, whose father was Chief Ngedee Shezi. She attended mission schools until Standard 9. She had her only child when she was fifteen. Nyembe spent much of her life under

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

either under

banning order __NOTOC__ This list of people subject to banning orders under apartheid lists a selection of people subject to a "banning order" by the apartheid-era South African government. Banning was a Political repression, repressive and Extrajudicial punis ...

s or in prison, serving terms from 1963 to 1966 for furthering the ANC movement. Again from 1968 until 1983 for harboring terrorists. Nyembe joined the

Natal Organisation of Women The Natal Organisation of Women (NOW) was a regional women's organization in South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal, Natal area. NOW was founded in 1983 and affiliated with the United Democratic Front (South Africa), United Democratic Front (UDF). NOW in ...

(NOW) after her 1984 release. She was again released from detention in 1987. She was elected to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Career

Nyembe was merchant but was also active in politics, participating or running many progressive organizations. She joined the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

in 1952 and soon became an active member. When she joined the ANC the Defiance campaign was going on. Nyembe was imprisoned in 1952 for defying unjust laws. She led women from

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

in the

Defiance Campaign The Defiance Campaign against Unjust Laws was presented by the African National Congress (ANC) at a conference held in Bloemfontein, South Africa in December 1951. The Campaign had roots in events leading up the conference. The demonstrations, ...

of 1956. Part of the Defiance Campaign was being a leader against the removal of the Cato Manor in 1956. In 1956 she was elected as the vice president of the Durban ANC. She was also active in the movement to boycott beer halls. Beer Halls, taking jobs away from many women. In 1959 she was elected president of the Natal division of the

African National Congress Women's League The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is an auxiliary women's political organization of the African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa. This organization has its precedent in the Bantu Women's League, and it oscillated from b ...

. When the ANC was banned in 1960, she joined Spear of the Nation. In 1961, Nyembe was recruited into the Umkhonto we Sizwe and worked with a number of allies such as Chief Albert Luthuli, Moses Mabhida, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo." In 1963 she led women during the Natal Women's Revolt. "She was released on 23 March 1984, after her release, Nyembe started working for Natal Organisation of Women (NOW). NOW served a number of purposes. Fighting against rent increases, transport costs, poor education and lack of child care facilities are the main focus of the organization."

Work for the African National Congress

The ANC's philosophy during the early 1950s was that of Gandhi's. A passive philosophy where members were willing to go to prison if necessary. Nyembe, while not a pacifist, joined the ANC and in 1952 was willing to break laws that imposed restrictions of political, labour and residential rights. Nyembe's time in the defiance campaign ended when, in 1953, the British passed laws that banned protest meetings. After her election president of the Natal division in 1959 Nyembe was involved in the planning of opposition to pass laws. Pass laws would have made it required that all black citizens carry an identity card around in white areas. After the

Sharpeville massacre The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960 at the police station in the township of Sharpeville in the then Transvaal Province of the then Union of South Africa (today part of Gauteng). After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of ...

and the ANC and the PAC being banned under newly passed the Unlawful Organisations Act. Nyembe joined a violent wing of the ANC called the spear of nation. Under this operation she participated in sabotaging government facilities.

Natal Women's Revolt

As a leader of the Natal Women's Revolt, Nyembe was with other South African black women against beer halls. Beer Halls took a major source of income away from women. This organization also sought the destruction of the Durban Corporation property. Nyembe was fighting for influx control, passes for women, and permits to seek work.

Awards

Awarded FAO Ceres Medal in 1976. During her career she received the

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...

, from the Soviet Union, and the Chief Albert Luthuli prize, the latter in 1992.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyembe, Dorothy 1931 births 1998 deaths Anti-apartheid activists South African women activists South African activists African National Congress politicians People from Umzinyathi District Municipality Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 20th-century South African women politicians 20th-century South African politicians Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples UMkhonto we Sizwe personnel Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa Women civil rights activists