Kirjahaku

Embark on a riveting journey through the life of Lydia Komape, an unsung hero in South African history. This compelling biography delves into the remarkable story of an African National Congress (ANC) parliamentarian whose impact transcends headlines. Unlike traditional biographies, we explore Lydia’s life as a trade unionist, land rights activist, and advocate for rural women’s rights, offering a unique perspective on the struggle against apartheid’s everyday injustices. Navigating her name changes, from Komape to Kompe and Ngwenya-Komape, adds an intriguing layer to her identity. The narrative weaves through pivotal moments, employing a mix of social history and literary fiction to vividly portray Lydia’s challenges and triumphs. Written in plain English, this book is a celebration of resilience, solidarity, and the enduring spirit of those who shaped South Africa’s complex history. Lydia’s journey becomes a window into a world where individuals like her played a crucial role in the fight for equality and justice. As we unveil Lydia’s story, we also shed light on the broader context of societal change, offering an alternative narrative that challenges conventional perspectives. This biography, while acknowledging its gaps, aims to reignite interest in Lydia’s legacy and the timeless issues she championed. Join us in discovering the extraordinary life of Lydia Komape, a woman whose impact reverberates through the annals of South African history.

In the 1980s there was a surge of trade union power on a scale not previously experienced in South Africa. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) was a highly prominent and innovative union in this assertion of muscle and one of Cosatu's most radical affiliates, and its story is one of astonishing achievements as its activities built workers' rights and deeply eroded the apartheid state. Metal that will not bend - a translation of the union's motto Insimbi ayigobi - tells that story by revisiting the formation of the powerful modern day union movement. The trade union movement kept the internal struggle alive in the late 1980s when community organisations in the United Democratic Front (UDF) had been smashed. Many books have been published on the ANCs struggle for liberation. However, this critical aspect of internal mass mobilisation, which put pressure on the apartheid state through huge stayaways and which relied almost entirely on the organisation of Cosatu and its strong affiliates, has generally not been adequately explored. Metal that will not bend traces the themes of power, independence and workers' control as they were practiced by Numsa.A number of small metal organisations with at times antagonistic organisational and political strategies were built in different ways and with different attitudes to the exiled liberation movements in the early 1980s. They eventually unified into one powerful organisation. Kally Forrest describes how workers' struggles built this power, and she scrutinises the strategies used in the late 1980s, such as innovative bargaining strategies, to significantly improve the conditions of impoverished workers. The book then progresses to examine how Numsa used its power in an attempt to insert a workers' perspective into the political transition of the early 1990s. It explores the obstacles the union faced, such as the violence that erupted across the country, and its commonality and divergence from the politics of the liberation movements (chiefly the ANC).

This fourth volume in the Hidden Voices Series is about Oukasie, a township in the Madibeng municipality. At various times in its history, its inhabitants have struggled against problems such as forced removals, terrible living conditions and corrupt officials. Bonds of Justice: The Struggle for Oukasie tells the story of a dedicated young group of people who were motivated by their belief that accountable and responsible leadership was needed to improve the situation of their community and its members. Before and after apartheid, they worked together to bring much-needed change to their community. This book tells the stories of those struggles in the 1980s and 1990s, and goes on to describe the problems faced by Oukasie and the wider community when the ethics of accountability were forgotten. The book has many lessons for South Africa today – the benefits that accountable governance can achieve, and what the costs are when a more selfish approach takes root.