Frances Baard

Frances Baard Goitsemang (* 1901 or October 1, 1909 in Beaconsfield, today Kimberley, South Africa, † 1997 in Mabopane in Pretoria, South Africa; native Frances Maswabi ) was a South African trade union activist, politician and anti- apartheid activist. She was a leading member of the African National Congress Women's League and patron of the United Democratic Front. In memory of them, the district Diamantveld was named after her.

Life

, Also known as Frances Baard MaBaard, was (also Masuabi ) in Green Point in Beaconsfield (now part of Kimberley ) born as Frances Maswabi. Her father was Herman Maswabi who had originally come from Ramotswa in Botswana to Kimberley to work in the mines. Baards mother was Sarah Voss, a Tswana from Kimberley.

Baard visited the Racecourse Primary School and Lyndhurst Road School (similar to the District Six Cape Town, a suburb of Kimberley ) in Malay Camp. She then worked for a short time until the death of her father at the renowned School Perseverance. She worked briefly as a teacher and after moving to Port Elizabeth as a maid and factory worker. There she married in 1942 her schoolmate Lucas Baard.

Political career

At that time she was an active member of the ANC, which she had joined in 1948, and trade unionist. This was their reaction to their experiences of oppression and exploitation under apartheid. They drew inspiration from Raymond Mhlaba and Ray Alexander.

In 1952 she organized activities of the African National Congress Women's League ( ANCWL ) and later took over various offices, such as the financial or management of the branch of the ANCWL in Port Elizabeth. Mid-50s, she took over the financial management of the National Women's League. She was also a board member of the Federation of South African Women ( FEDSAW ).

Freedom Charter and March of Women

Baard 1955 was involved in the drafting of the Freedom Charter. She was one of the leaders of the protest march by women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria seat of government, which was conducted on August 9, 1956 as a protest against the Pass Laws.

"A right is this little book you must get When You Are 16 and it says where you can work, and where you can be, and if you have got work. You can not get a job without this book. And you can only get a job wherethey stamp your right to say ' Johannesburg ' or ' Pretoria ' and so on. You must carry it with you all the time Because The police can ask you, ' Where is your pass? ' Any time, and then you must show them. If you have not got your passport, They put you in jail for some days or else you must pay some money to get out. "

" A passport is this little book that you need to get you when you're 16 and that tells you where you can work and where you may be and whether you have to work. You can get this book without any work. In order for you to work only where you have a stamp, Johannesburg 'or' Pretoria ' or so. You have to always have it with you, because you, the police can always ask, Where is your passport ' and then you have to show him. If you do not have your passport, they put you in jail for a few days or you have to pay money to get out. "

1956 was one of the accused in the Treason Trial, as Nelson Mandela and 155 other opponents of apartheid arrested and accused of treason. In the same year she became a board member of the South African Congress of Trade Unions ( SACTU, German " South African Congress of Trade Unions" ).

Captivity

In 1960, she was arrested for the first time, and three years later; while she spent twelve months in solitary confinement. In 1964 she was captured again relying on the Suppression of Communism Act because of their work for the ANC and sentenced to five years in prison. Related in Port Elizabeth and Kimberley took care of their children.

Exile and subsequent political activities

After her release in 1969 she was exiled to Boekenhout. Two years later the ban expired. Then she moved to Pretoria in Mabopane, where she lived until her death. In August 1983 Baard took part in the founding of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Cape Town. There, she was elected Patron and the Board.

Frances Baard was a member of the Methodist Church and its Women's Association Women 's Guild.

Memory

In June 2001, the district Diamantveld was renamed in honor Baards Frances Baard District Municipality in. The proposal came from an employee of the McGregor Museum in Kimberley.

In memory of the daughter of the town of Kimberley and the Northern Cape and their role in women's protest march on August 9, 1956, was unveiled at the National Women's Day 2009 her statue of the Premier of the province, Hazel Jenkins in Kimberley. The inscription on the granite pedestal is a famous quote from Baards autobiography:

"My spirit is not banned- I still say I want freedom in my lifetime. "

" My spirit is not banned - I still say, I want freedom in my lifetime. "