Elizabeth Mafekeng

LLM usage October 10 2026 12:49 20261010124953 Elizabeth Mafekeng (1918–2009) was a South African trade union leader and anti-apartheid activist. She served as president of the African Food and Canning Workers' Union (AFCWU) and a vice-president of the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW), leading strikes for worker rights before being forced into exile. Quotes A trade union is the home of the worker; without union organization, the worker remains at the mercy of exploitation. Elizabeth Mafekeng: Trade Unionist and Struggle Icon, South African History Online. We did not organize the canning workers simply for better wages, but to teach them that they are human beings entitled to full dignity. Honouring the Women Leaders of the Food and Canning Workers Union, Daily Maverick. Banishment and exile cannot tear away the loyalty a person feels toward their people and the liberation movement. Exile and Resistance in Southern Africa, Mail & Guardian. Women in the factories carry a double burden, working long hours at the assembly line and then returning to care for their families under township conditions. ANC Women's League Historical Profiles, African National Congress Archives. The unity of Black and white workers in solidarity is the greatest threat to any system built on racial oppression. Tributes to Trade Union Pioneer Elizabeth Mafekeng, Daily Dispatch. External links South African History Online Profile Category:South African activists Category:Anti-apartheid activists Category:South African women Category:1918 births Category:2009 deaths