Ruth+First

Ruth First By Jordan Springer Ruth First was a civil rights activist in South Africa and helped to end apartheid in the country. First originally worked as a journalist, working to show the malevolence of apartheid. She was an avid writer, and her books expressed her political opinions. Despite the best efforts of South African authorities, she did a great deal to help end apartheid. Ruth was born on May 4, 1925, to Jewish parents who immigrated to South Africa from Europe. She studied at the University of the Witwatersrand, studying alongside many other famous activists such as Nelson Mandela and Joe Slovo. After graduation, she worked as a journalist for //The Guardian,// which was a socialist newspaper. First herself was a communist. Her parents created the Communist Party of South Africa, and as a result, Ruth was greatly exposed to politics as a child. She was a diligent worker and did an incredible job of showing the difference between the lives of white South Africans and those of black South Africans.

Ruth First married Joe Slovo, who was also both a communist and an activist, in 1949. Their home in Roosevelt Park was home to many a political debate. In 1950, the Communist Party of South Africa, along with many other groups who opposed the views of the racist National Party that ruled South Africa at the time, was banned. Despite this, it continued to operate illegally. Ruth also helped the ANC (African National Congress) in various ways, such as creating organizations to work with them and helping create the Freedom Charter, a collection of the ANC’s demands for the future.

In December of 1956, 156 activist were arrested and charged with high treason. Two of them were Joe Slovo and Ruth First. After four years of trial, they were cleared of charges. Afterwards, Ruth became even more involved in the ANC’s increasingly violent movement. Although she escaped the raid in July of 1963, she was arrested on August 9th of the same year. Under the Ninety-Day law (A law that allowed any citizen to be held without trial for the named amount of days) she was held for, as would be expected, 90 days. She was held in solitary confinement. However, immediately after her release, she was arrested again, this time for only 27 days. After this, First and her three daughters fled to England, where Joe Slovo was already waiting. After the move, she remained involved in South Africa’s struggle, writing novels or study to educate the English people about the country’s plight. She also was involved in political debates in England. Arguably her most popular book was titled //117 Days.// Published in 1965, it was a description of the time Ruth spent in solitary confinement, and was adapted into a movie. In 1977, Ruth went to Mozambique to help the newly created government form a socialist society. On August 17th, 1982, she was killed by a letter bomb sent by South African police.

Overall, Ruth First was a very influential activist in ending apartheid. After her death, representatives from 34 countries attended her funeral. However, her legacy carried on after her death. Her novels and studies were very significant in putting a finish to apartheid, and so was her help with other groups. In fact, if you visit the ANC’s website, the Freedom Charter is one of the first things displayed on its homepage. Her work will last for decades to come.