Sarah Carneson (17 June 1916 – 30 October 2015) was a South African labour organizer and anti-apartheid activist.

Early life

Sarah Rubin was born in 1916, 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 ...

, the daughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants Zelic Rubin (a tailor) and Anna Rubin. Her parents were among the founders of the Communist Party in South Africa, and the younger Rubin joined the Young Communist League as a teenager."Sarah Carneson"
''South African History Online'' (2011).

Career

Sarah Rubin worked in the Communist Party offices in Johannesburg, as a young woman, and was a member of the League against Fascism and War. She taught literacy classes for workers, and worked in the party's bookshop, in Johannesburg. From 1936 to 1940, she was involved with labour organizing, with tobacco workers and sugar workers in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. In 1945, she became general secretary of the

South African Railways and Harbours Union The South African Railways and Harbours Union was formed by black workers of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration after they had been expelled from the National Union of Railway and Harbour Servants. Formation Rachel Simons, ...

, based in Cape Town.Shaun de Waal
"Sarah Carneson: A lifetime dedicated to SA's freedom struggle"
''Mail & Guardian'' (15 November 2015). Sarah and her husband were both banned from public gatherings under the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950. His continued involvement with the Communist Party led to Fred Carneson's arrest and trial in 1956. Sarah Carneson was also detained, in 1960, and paroled to remain, under supervision, in Cape Town. Fred was jailed in 1965, and Sarah left South Africa for England in 1968. In England she continued to work for the trade unions, and at the '' Morning Star'' newspaper. The Carnesons were reunited in 1972, in exile in London. The couple returned to South Africa in 1991.

Personal life

Sarah Rubin married Fred Carneson in 1943, while he was still on active duty in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. They had three children, Lynn, John, and Ruth. Sarah was widowed when Fred Carneson died in 2000. She died in 2015, aged 99 years, in

Muizenberg Muizenberg ( , Dutch for "mice mountain") is a beach-side town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is situated where the shore of the Cape Peninsula curves round to the east on the False Bay coast. It is considered to be the main surfing spot i ...

, Cape Town. A "national memorial event" was held in Cape Town, and attended by leaders of the South African Communist Party, 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 ...

, and

Cosatu The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union federation in South Africa. It was founded in 1985 and is the largest of the country's three main trade union federations, with 21 affiliated trade unions.One Union expelled, ...

. Their daughter Lynn published a biography of the Carnesons, ''Red in the Rainbow: The Life and Times of Fred and Sarah Carneson'' (2011). There was a related exhibit about the Carnesons, also titled "Red in the Rainbow", at the Slave Lodge Museum in 2015."RIP Sarah Carneson"
''Iziko Museums of South Africa'' (3 November 2015).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carneson, Sarah 1916 births 2015 deaths South African activists South African women activists Members of the South African Communist Party People from Johannesburg Jewish socialists Jewish South African anti-apartheid activists White South African anti-apartheid activists