Lucy Buyaphi Mvubelo (1920 – 30 October 2000) was a South African trade unionist. Born Lucy Twala 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 ...

, she was educated at the Inanda Seminary School before becoming a teacher. She married McKenzie Mvubelo, but in 1942 left teaching to earn higher pay in a clothing factory. She joined the Garment Workers' Union of African Women and soon became its general secretary. In 1947, she was a convener of the Federation of South African Women, and she was a founder of 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), serving as its vice president from 1955. Mvubelo objected to SACTU's decision to affiliate to 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 ...

. The Garment Workers' Union disaffiliated in 1956, and in 1959 she instead became president of the

Federation of Free African Trade Unions The Federation of Free African Trade Unions of South Africa (FOFATUSA) was a national trade union federation for unions representing black workers in South Africa. History Unions representing black workers were not permitted to affiliate to the Tr ...

(FOFATUSA). In 1962, the Garment Workers' Union merged into the new

National Union of Clothing Workers The National Union of Clothing Workers (NUCW) was a trade union representing garment workers in South Africa. The union was founded in 1962, when the Garment Workers' Union of African Women merged with the African Clothing Workers' Union. It aff ...

(NUCW), with Mvubelo continuing as general secretary. She decided to dissolve FOFATUSA in 1966, as it had few remaining affiliates. Instead, the NUCW joined 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 ...

(TUCSA), and Mvubelo became one of the first black women to serve on its executive. The TUCSA expelled unions representing black workers in 1969. Mvubelo argued that the NUCW should continue as an independent union, securing it representation with the

International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) was a global union federation. In 2005 it had 217 member organizations in 110 countries, representing a combined membership of over 10 million workers. History The ITGLW ...

, and personally spoke at the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

. It was able to rejoin the TUCSA in 1972, but that year, Mvubelo received significant criticism for not keeping clear financial records. In the 1980s, Mvubelo was unusual in opposing an economic boycott of South Africa. In 1984, her house was bombed by opponents of her stance. She served on the management committee of the United States-South African Leader Exchange Program, and chaired Women for Peace. The NUCW merged into the

National Union of Garment Workers The National Union of Garment Workers (NUGW) was a trade union representing clothing workers in South Africa. The union was established in 1985, when the Garment Workers' Union of South Africa (GWUSA) merged with the National Union of Clothing Wo ...

in 1985, and Mvubelo retired the following year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mvubelo, Lucy 1920 births 2000 deaths People from Johannesburg South African trade unionists