TOP ROLE IN STRUGGLE OF TWO WOMEN

AS THE world recently marked International Women’s Day, it is important to highlight the role played by two forgotten revolutionaries, Nokutela Dube and Nadya Krupskaya, in South Africa and Russia, respectively. These two lionesses are among many brave women in the world that played critical roles in liberating their countries. However, their efforts were silenced by their patriarchic comrades.

Nokutela (nee Mdima) Dube was born in 1873 in Inanda, South Africa, four years after Nadya Krupskaya’s birth in 1869 in Saint Petersburg in Russia. Today, these women unfortunately are remembered as wives of their partners: Nokutela as the wife of the founding leader of the ANC, John Langalibalele Dube, while Nadya is referred to as Vladimir Lenin’s wife.

Other than marrying these famous and powerful men, Nokutela and Nadya shared similar traits and experiences. They were both brilliant scholars and leaders, paving the way for more women’s and men’s roles in the Struggle against colonialism, apartheid and patriarchy. Nokutela and Nadya contributed significantly in the struggles against colonial, gender biased, racialised systems and patriarchy yet their life stories remain unknown.

While Nokutela was working with her partner John Dube establishing Ilanga lase Natal newspaper and opening Ohlange Institute in South Africa, Nadya worked with workers on defending their rights in Russia.

We celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8. Nokutela and Nadya provide us with a classic example of how the role of women in society is undermined and eroded not only by the oppressors outside but their own comrades.

Although Nokutela was honoured with South Africa’s highest honour – the order of the Golden Baobab a century after her death, she was buried in an unmarked grave until 2012. Women’s role in the Struggle against colonialism and apartheid on the African continent continue to be relegated to footnotes.

It would be more befitting for President Cyril Ramaphosa to flag the heroic roles played by Empress Taitu Betul, Mbuya Nehanda, Josina Muthemba Machel, Queen Njinga and many more women when he chairs the AU in South Africa. There should be a concerted effort to reform the AU and all other continental institutions of governance with a focus on ensuring women representation and gender sensitive policies. The starting point should be national liberation movements that played a major role in suppressing roles played by their own female comrades.

Violence committed against women didn’t end in 1994; it continued under the post- apartheid government. There are many records to prove this. African women occupy fewer high positions in government, business and our universities. African women, particularly those residing in the former Bantu states remain trapped in an oppressive patriarchy governance system of traditional leadership.

Women are still, by and large, enduring age-old oppression.

Goal number five of the Sustainable Development Goals calls for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Incidentally, the executive director of UN Women is Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, a South African politician who served as Thabo Mbeki’s vice-president from 2005 to 2008. Mlambo-Ngcuka and Cyril Ramaphosa have a difficult task when it comes to women empowerment; they come from the developing world where the fortunes of women have always been in a precarious state.

Furthermore, they come from South Africa, a country where all forms of abuse against women ranging from economic, professional, physical and sexual abuse are scandalously rife.

The task at hand should be multi-pronged; women that have risen against trying odds to contribute massively to their countries and the world should be celebrated with the same gusto as their male counterparts.

There should be swift punishment for those who continue or support this scourge. Another prong would be fighting the malevolent effects of patriarchy.

Monyae is the director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg.