The Special Collections Book of the Week this week is:

They Fought for Freedom: Helen Joseph by Julie Frederikse.

Born in England, Helen Joseph came to South Africa via India when she was twenty-six. Living a privileged life did not stop her from questioning racism and inequalities in her adopted country. It was only in her forties when she began working actively to bring about political change. Helen played key roles in the Congress of Democrats, Federation of South African Women, UDF and the ANC. Charged with treason in the 1950s and one of the leaders of the march by women in 1956, the ‘granny’ of the struggle had the dubious honour of being the first South African placed under house arrest. Undeterred by bannings she constantly challenged her opponents and still had the time to form strong friendship such as Lillian Ngoyi and David Webster. When asked why she continued to fight against apartheid Helen replied: “It makes me more rich than anybody I can think of.” This book shares those riches with a generation of readers who now live in a democracy that Helen herself did not live to see.

Access: https://univofpretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/36456653

This book is available at Special Collections, housed on level 5 of the Merensky 2 Library, and is part of our Africana (ZA) Collection.

The Special Collections unit of the Department of Library Services plays a stewardship role in the acquisition and preservation of the Library's rare and valuable information resources, making them accessible to students, staff and researchers, as well as safeguarding them for future generations.