Jabulile Nyawose (14 July 1948 – 4 June 1982) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist and anti-

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 ...

activist in

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 ...

. Nyawose was killed in

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

by a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

in an execution sanctioned by the South African government. She was posthumously honoured with a silver

Order of Luthuli The Order of Luthuli is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003, and is granted by the President (government title), president of South Africa, for contributions to South Africa in the following fields: (i) the struggle for ...

in 2015.

Biography

Nyawose's family were activists and her father was involved in 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 ...

(ANC). Nyawose was married to Petrus Nyawose, and both were very involved with the Black Allied Workers Union (BAWU). The couple had four children together, the second youngest of whom often spent time at the BAWU headquarters. Later, in

, they had a fourth child. Nyawose was recruited to act as a contact for two cells of the underground ANC, one run by Dhaya Pillay and the other by Shadrack Maphumulo. When Maphumulo was arrested in 1977, Nyawose and others involved worried they would be found out. Nyawose and her family went into exile, first crossing in to

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

and then moving to

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

. They joined the

South African Congress of Trade Unions The South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU) was a national trade union federation in South Africa. History The federation was established in March 1955, after right wing unions dissolved the South African Trades and Labour Council in 1954 to ...

(SACTU) that was active in Swaziland. On 4 June 1982, Nyawose and her husband were killed when a

exploded outside their house in Matsapha, near Manzini, Swaziland. Their three children witnessed the explosion and one, Nonzamo, testified about their death for the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

. The death was found to be sanctioned by the

South African Government The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authority ...

. Nyawose was posthumously awarded a silver

in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyawose, Jabulile 1982 deaths Anti-apartheid activists South African trade unionists Members of the Order of Luthuli