Ruth First

Ruth First was a South African journalist, academic, author and anti-apartheid activist. She was a member of the South African Communist Party and a prominent opponent of apartheid. She was detained for 117 days under South Africa's 90-day detention laws and later went into exile, working as an academic and researcher in Mozambique. She was assassinated by a letter bomb in Maputo in 1982. Quotes Colonialism was based on authoritarian command; as such, it was incompatible with any preparation for self-government. The Barrel of a Gun Government was run not only without, but despite the people. The Barrel of a Gun I was ravenous for reading matter. 117 Days I read the Book from the first page to the last, first the Old Testament, then the New. South African History Online External links Category:1925 births Category:1982 deaths Category:Activists from South Africa Category:Journalists from South Africa Category:Women academics from South Africa Category:Anti-apartheid activists Category:Women activists Category:Communists