Elizabeth Adriana Abrahams (, 19 September 1925 – 17 December 2008) was a South African

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

and

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

who participated actively in the movement against

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

. She became General Secretary of the Food and Canning Workers Union (FCWU) in 1955, a duty she performed until 1964. Her activism brought her close to activists including Elizabeth Mafikeng,

Archie Sibeko Archibald Mncedisi Sibeko OLS (3 March 1928 – 27 March 2018) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, trade unionist and political leader. Early life Born in Kwezana in the Eastern Cape, Archie Sibeko grew up in a traditional Xhosa environ ...

, Oscar Mpetha and Ray Alexander. She was in 1986 detained for police questioning and subsequently detained for almost three months without trial. After her retirement, Abrahams remained actively involved in the

Food and Allied Workers Union Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ...

(FAWU), and was in 1995, a year after South Africa's first democratic elections, elected to serve as a Member of Parliament. During the last years of her life, Abrahams received several awards for her contributions to the liberation movement and for her activities on behalf of the rights of the working class.

Early life

Elizabeth "Nanna" Abrahams was born in 1925 into a working-class

coloured Coloureds () are multiracial people in South Africa, Namibia and, to a smaller extent, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Their ancestry descends from the interracial mixing that occurred between Europeans, Africans and Asians. Interracial mixing in South ...

family in the Paarl Valley in the Western Cape, Union of South Africa. She had four brothers and four sisters. She attended Bethanie School in Paarl,City of Cape Town. ''CIVIL RESISTANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1970s TO 1980s''. Retrieved 15 March 2025. which was a multi-racial education institution, until sixth year. Her father was employed in the wood industry and made bricks, and her mother worked in a fruit canning factory. Abrahams showed enthusiasm for politics from an early age, an interest she later attributed to her father's own interest in reading and discussing political issues. The economic climate in Paarl during Abrahams's childhood severely limited job opportunities. After the death of her father, when she was 14, she dropped out of school to work as a seasonal labourer in a local fruit canning factory. There she experienced first hand the harsh conditions workers faced, including long working hours, low wages and a lack of restrooms.

Political activity

The frequent periods of unemployment associated with life as a seasonal labourer contributed to Abrahams's increasing awareness of the poor conditions endured by the workers, and especially by women. The Food and Canning Workers Union (FCWU) was established in 1941. Abrahams was recruited to join by

Ray Alexander Simons Ray Alexander Simons (née Alexandrowich; (31 December 1913 – 12 September 2004) was a South African communist, anti-apartheid activist, campaigner and trade unionist who helped draft the Women's Charter. She moved to Cape Town in 1929 to esc ...

, who was then an active

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and trade unionist. Though women members were granted only a limited role in the union's early days, Abrahams, among other female members, began to take on an important organizational and uniting role. She was quickly promoted from the subs steward on the factory floor to branch secretary. Abrahams promoted the cause of

non-racialism Non-racialism, aracialism or antiracialism is a South African ideology rejecting racism and "racialism" while affirming liberal democratic ideals. History Non-racialism became the official state policy of South Africa after April 1994, and it is ...

among union members, an issue of increasing controversy after a 1947 apartheid law banned racially mixed unions, threatening the FCWU's stability and unity. In 1955 Abrahams was elected chief negotiator and General Secretary of FCWU, a position she held until 1964. In 1959, she assisted workers in organising the campaign against proposed wage cuts by the Langeberg Ko-operasie management in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

. She also campaigned against the implementation of the

Group Areas Act Group Areas Act was the title of three acts of the Parliament of South Africa enacted under the apartheid government of South Africa. The acts assigned racial groups to different residential and business sections in urban areas in a syste ...

. Abrahams FCWU leadership was characterised by a strong commitment to the union and an unwavering support for the

anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-white population who were oppressed by the policies ...

, which eventually led her to join the Coloured People’s Congress (CPC). She also joined the

Federation of South African Women The Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) was a political lobby group formed in 1954. At FEDSAW's inaugural conference, a Women's Charter was adopted. Its founding was spear-headed by Lillian Ngoyi. Introduction The Federation of South Afri ...

(FEDSAW), becoming an executive member.

Banning

Her political activities earned Abrahams a five-year ban from the union under the

Suppression of Communism Act The Suppression of Communism Act, 1950 (Act No. 44 of 1950), renamed the Internal Security Act in 1976, was legislation of the national government in apartheid South Africa which formally banned the South African Communist Party, Communist Party ...

in August 1964, and she spent the ban period under

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

and unable to enter the factory. Despite her banishment, Abrahams continued working for the union and assisting

comrades In political contexts, comrade means a fellow party member. The political use was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Russian Revolution, popular culture in the ...

such as Elizabeth Mafekeng and

, both of whom faced exile. In 1979, Abrahams organised the Fattis and Monis strike in Bellville, which lasted for several months. In 1983, Abrahams was involved in a serious car accident and spent 14 days in Malmesbury Hospital. She retired from the fruit factory and the Union in 1985, after her injuries became too much for her to continue. On 13 June 1986, Abrahams was again detained and kept under custody without trial, for a period of three months. She was held in Paarl then in

Pollsmoor Prison Pollsmoor Prison, officially known as Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison, is located in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai in South Africa. Pollsmoor is a maximum security penal facility that continues to hold some of South Africa's most dangerous c ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

Later life

After her injuries and retirement, Abrahams continued helping the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) with the organisation of farm workers in the Nooder Paarl and Pniel branches. She also supported and advised young organisers and consulted with other organisations like the

Congress of South African Students The Congress of South African Students (COSAS) is an anti-apartheid student organisation established in 1979 in the wake of the June 16 Soweto Uprisings in 1976 in South Africa. Background COSAS was formed in June 1979 after the South African Stu ...

on issues such as gender discrimination, racism and union organising strategies. In 1990, she was elected the interim chair of the Paarl

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

(ANC) branch. Other leadership positions followed as she was vice-chair of the ANC's Women's League and a member of the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded on 12 February 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), and tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by t ...

. In 1995, she became a member of the first democratically elected

South African Parliament The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature. It is located in Cape Town; the country's legislative capital. Under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Asse ...

, serving until 2000. In 2005, Abrahams biography ''Married to the Struggle'' was published by the

University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape (UWC; ) is a Public university, public research university in Bellville, South Africa, Bellville, near Cape Town, South Africa. The university was established in 1959 by the Politics of South Africa, South ...

in celebration of her 80th birthday.

Awards

Abrahams was awarded the Order of the Counsellor of the Baobab in bronze from

South African President The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence Fo ...

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

in 2002. Honorary Freedom of the

Drakenstein Local Municipality Drakenstein Municipality (; ) is a local municipality located within the Cape Winelands District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. , it had a population of 251,262. Its municipality code is WC023. Geography The municipa ...

was awarded to Abrahams in 2005. FAWU awarded her the Elijah Barayi Award at the

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU or 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 ...

(COSATU) national congress in 2007. Abrahams was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Commerce by the University of Western Cape in 2007.

Death

Abrahams died at her home in Paarl on 17 December 2008 aged 83, surrounded by family and friends.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrahams, Liz 1925 births 2008 deaths People from the Cape Winelands District Municipality South African women trade unionists South African anti-apartheid activists African National Congress politicians South African Communist Party politicians Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1994–1999 Members of the National Assembly of South Africa 1999–2004 People associated with the University of the Western Cape