A c ' I- ^ > 3

THE POSITION OF INDIAN WOMEN IN SOUTH AFRICA;

Mrs. Fatima Meer (Durban)

I consider myself extremely fortunate to be with you this

morning.

The Indian women in South Africa suffer from disabilities

which arise from two sources. Firstly, they suffer as Non-Europeans

and secondly as members of a society which gives them very few rights.

The position of women in any society is only relative to the

position of men. Where the men are free the woemn are fBee too,

and have the greatest amount of equiity with the men.

Indian women came to this country from i860 onwards, either

under the indentured labour system, to work on the sugar fields

in Natal, or in very much smaller numbers as free passengers.

Most of the women in India lived in villages, dominated by the

men, subjected completely to their parents and thereafter their

mothers-in-law and husbands. To my mind, the Indian women who

came out to South Africa were by and large women of great spirit,

who refused to subject themselves to the old-fashioned pattern of

society.

South Africa remembers and speaks of the movement which was set

in force by Mahatma Ghandi, his struggle for the rights of the Indian

people in the line of passive resistance. It gathered momentum only

when the Indian women came into the fight.

The Indian woman’ s position, in the first place, is the same as

that of any Non-European woman in this country. Secondly, she

suffers a great many disabilities within the Indian Community itself,

partly because of certain traditional Indian practices, and partly

because of certain South African laws like the Immigrants’ Regulation

Act of 1913 . This Act prevented women from going to India for their

husbands and created serious difficulties for women who married Indians

living in a different province. When such a marriage came to an end,

and the mother wished to return to her own people, she found that she

would have to leave her children behind since they were domiciled in

the father's province.

Following the pattern of the old social life in traditional India,

the Hindu woman is not allowed to remarry. Even if she does take to

herself another man, it is very difficult for her to find a suitable

husband. Male dominance is so great that she either has to take an

old man or one with a lot of children, while a man is allowed to take

another wife and put aside his old one.

In the case of the Moslem woman, although, theoretically, she is

allowed to divorce her fcusband* in practice she has no such right,

"but many are the instances where husbands ha^e set their wives aside

and taken other wives. These are the difficulties which an Indian

woman suffers.

An Indian housewife suffers from the deplorable society which

prevents the Non-European people from progressing. 70% of the

Indians in and around Durban live below the bread line. They suffer

very acutely from housing shortages.

The Indian birthrate is about the highest in Durban and there is

a high infantile and maternity mortality rate.

There are not enough schools for the Indian children, owing

to the neglect of the Education Department which has built schools

only to accomodate 25$ of the Indian school children.

Although there are only about 1,000 Indian women employed in

industries, just over 1,000 in domestic service, about U60 women in

the teaching profession, and about 30 in the medical, social welfare

and nursing profession, the fact that from a society which was so

terribly male-dominated, these women could come out into iiiK public

life is a sign of their emancipation. Indian women are taking a

leading part in the struggle for liberation, as/Stl?¥8g the Defiance

Campaign and Passive Resistance. (APPLAUSE).

WOMEN IN CHINA

Mr. Duma Nokwe (A.N .C .Y outh Congresi

Transvaal).

- 3 -

WOMEN IN CHINA

Mr. Duma Nokwe (A .N .C . Youth Congress Tvl.,) .

This is an historical Conference and we have no doubt that

the results will influence the course of events in South Africa*.

Throughout the world, women are struggling for their rights as

mothers, and ncitizens.

I have "been asked to speak on the women of China. Firstly^,

we have the old China; today we also have the new China, horn in

the Chinese Revolution five years ago..

The old China was a feudal and semi-colonial country, in which

the peasants suffered ruthless exploitation,. The mass of the

women shared this oppression with the men and also suffered oppres­

sion and enslavement as women. They had absolutely no rights;

their feet were hound in cloth, a symbol of their subjection.

The women of China joined in the historic struggle to crush

the feudal oppression and distinguished themselves by struggling

shoulder to shoulder with their men in the Peoples' Liberation

Army as guerilla fighters*.

Today the women are fully emancipated and enjoy equal rights

with the men,. The Chinese C opies Government which came in in

19U9 has passed various laws to protect v/omen and children's welfare

Madame Sum Chung—Ling, the wife of Dr.. Sun Y ^at-sen the founder

of the Chinese National Democratic movement is today Vice-Chairman

of the Central Peoples* Government.

Many women work in government offices. Two women are vice-

presidents of the Peoples' Supreme Court in China, and many women

are judges in the local courts..

Women in China today can do any work or take up any profession,.

There are many women workers in heavy industry..

Pregnancy no longer means unemployment and every mother is

given eight weeks maternal leave with full pay together with free

ante-natal and post-natal care for everyone, as well as creches with

well-trained nurses and doctors for the babies of mothers who are

working in facatories.

Education in China is free to all without discrimination of sex,

and many women take advantage of it. In old China the majority of

women as of men we illiterate. Today the Peoples Government is aboli­

shing illiteracy for men and women.

The All China Democratic Women's Organisation with a membership

of about 80,000,000 people unites the women of China and joins them

with the women of other countries in the world in the struggle for peace

and democracy. The feet of the Chinese women are now unbound, and

they are today marching along with their men to build a prosperous

China i (APFXLAUSE).

WOMEN1S STRUGGLE FOR PEACE

Hilda Watts (Johannesburg).

I welcome the Conference as the first of its kind in South Africa.

It is my duty to speak of the terrible results of the hydrogen bomb

explosion and to arouse Conference to the urgency of the campaign for

peace. This explosion was caused by a bomb six-hundred times more

powerful than that which destroyed Hiroshima. Now we are told that

experiments are being carried out with a bomb 2,^00 times as poweful

as the at can bomb.

War no longer means sending men to fight, it means the destruction

of homes and cities. Professor Bleksley has said the H-bomb can blow

radio-active dust from Johannesburg to farms in the Free State. We

must think of war in these terms, and in terms of germ warfare, dest­

ruction and waste.

War will destroy millions of happy and fruitful lives and spread

hunger, poverty and disease. The ’’cold war" is costing millions of

pounds. Children in America are indoctrinated with sadism, horror and

killings fills children's books. Fighting itself costs still more.

At the end of war people are left worse o ff , e .g . in Korea, Viet-Nam

and Kenya.

Women "bear children and for them they want peace and happiness.

The Women's International Democratic Federation arose out of the

desire of women for peace. Women have played an important part in

the World Peace Council. In South Africa, the struggle for democratic

rights is hound up with the struggle for peace. A bad Government stands

for war. Woifen demand citizenship rights to fight for peace, a good

life and security for their children.

H ere are extracts from letters from children all over the world:-

FRANCE: "We do not ever again want to see war.”

POLAND: " I don’ t want any more wars. My daddy was killed."

JAPAN: "I wish all wars to he ceased and a happy country to

he b u ilt ."

MINNESOTA: "Talk until you can agree.. Don't you hear, our cries?"

We women will organise for peace. Nothing can stand in our way."

(APPLAUSE).

DISCUSSION

S enrietta Ostrich (African Women's Association, Durban)

The emancipated women must lead the others to a successful

campaign. In Durban, women are campaigners determined to win. What

about passes for women? Not in Natal,.

Rahima Moosa (Transvaal Indian Congress):

In other countries women gave their lives for freedom. In South

Africa, hundreds of women had gone to jail shoulder to shoulder with

the men.

Rita Hodgson (South African Congress of Democrats, Johannesburg),

The four organisations, African National Congress, South African

Indian Congress, South AfricanxRetasii Coloured Peoples Organisation and

South African Congress of Democrats, had met together and their

National Executives were working out plans for the Freddom Congress

and a call to all people to participate in direct representation.

Women should play a big part and would be asked to give their time to

organising.

Dora Tamana (Guardian Co-Op Xmas and Savings Club} Cape Town).

In the Cape, the Council brought in passes in a crooked way. No

husband could bring his wife without a pass. In Retreat Cape

women had to pay ^d for a gallon of water. The mothers and children

were hungry because there was not enough money to buy food.

Women must unite to get their own government*

Gladys Smith (Housewives League, Cape Town - and S .A .C .P .O .)

She could speak herself of struggle and hunger and having no food

for hungry children. The European women had the vote, but the Non-

European women did not. A great responsibility was on the shoulders

of women, who must take a firm stand and fight all unjust laws. All

v/omen must pledge themselves to unite more closely, to get the right

to vote to be educated, the right of freedom to speak,

Josie Palmer (in the chair).

Neglect of children had led to establishment of Women's Service

Committees, who were organising their cram nursery schools, "but they

got no support from the Government. All mothers should unite to

fight for the sake of the children.

Lilian Ngoyi (African National Congress - Orlando).

If it had not "been for the husbands, who kept hack many of our

women, we would have had many more delegates. The husbands talked

of democracy, hut did not practice it.

In Sophiatown people are to he forcibly moved from their homes of

six and seven rooms, while people are still left in the Orlando shelters,

where men and women must hold blankets in their teeth while they dress,

so that their children, who are all in the same room, shall not see

them; where the latrines have no privacy and children can see everthing.

Our husbands toil in the mines with their lamps and their hammers,

the gold is dug by the black hand, but it goes to the white hand. We

must fight together, Europeans, Indians, African, Coloureds.

Sister M.fl. Thompson (A.N .C. Kimberley)

She could not see enough nurses at this Conference. She saw four,

but there ought to be forty. She herself was a nurse in Kimberley.

Florence Nightingale had sacrificed herself, and devoted her

life to the nation. What were the women of the Red Cross going to

do about South Africa? "Wake up, women.”

Hetty Du Preez (Garment Workers' Union, No. 2 Branch)

Before the Native Settlement of disputes Act, the Coloureds,

had worked and struggled side by side with the African women in the

clothing factories, but now our African friends are told that they

must form an African Trade Union. Some employers have taken advantage

of this and reduced the wages of African women.

Non-European women demand the vote to put the right people in

Parliament, to get nursing homes and creches,.

Winifred Siqwana (Women's Vigilance Committee, Langa, Cape Town)

Women must act. not talk, and must leave the Conference with a

decision for action.

E. Mafeking (African Pood & Canning Workers' Union, Paarl Branch).

The African people were going to the election on the 21st, and

would defy the Government by electing Ray Alexander.

Martha Ngxesha (African Food & Canning Workers, East London)

The wages in East London were shameful for these times, and

could hardly support life for people with families.

Women must work for the rights of their children; for food, for

creches for maternity homes.

Mrs. Florence ivlatomela (A.N.C.. Port Elizabeth)

This gathering would "bring tears to Dr. Malan, because he did

not want the women of South Africa to be united. In Port Elizabeth

the women worked hard, hut now they had such things as never before,

passes for women. But the women had taken the passes and put them

in a bag and took them back to the Superintendent* who had issued

them, saying, “Take your rubbish.1'

In Port Elizabeth there are not enough midwives, and people

had to walk many miles to get a midwife.

Ray Alexander must come to Parliament because she understands

our difficulties. If she does not sit in Parliament, then Malan

should not sit.

Have courage, women of all nationalities of South Africa.

Louisa Mntwana Nyanga Vigilance Association, Cape Town)

Nyanga is a small place in great difficulties. Our rents

fluctuate all the time, The officials send papers for information

about our husband's income, when they want to put up the rent, but

they do not ask for our expenses.

It is good to be here, and to see everybody c^-operating.

Before we were oppressed, we did not co-operate.

Mrs. C.Rosier (S .A .CO.D . CAPE TOWN)

Irrespective of skin or economic status, women are workers, and

must fight for the right to live as South African citizens,.

Women must lead the men in the fight against unjust laws.

The Women's .Z ^ era-t-ion would have a strong and united platform.

We should be proud of the attendance at this Conference. The next

Conferences of women will have five times the attendance of today.

Uoik. (I&b-AiX tV lu l

Collection Number: AD1137

FEDERATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN 1954-1963

PUBLISHER: Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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