Veteran activist and community leader Sally Motlana died in a Johannesburg hospital on Saturday after collapsing three days earlier at her home in Dube, Soweto. She was born in 1927.
Her daughter, advocate Kgomotso Moroka said: “Our family truly appreciates the support, love and compassion that we have received since this tragedy befell us. In her we saw, felt, touched and learnt community service.”
A statement released by her family said she was “a lifelong activist and leader” who joined the ANC Youth League in 1946/1947.
“She began her activism in Sophiatown where, together with other young people, she used to collect stones that were used to pelt buses during bus boycotts known as azikhwelwa.”
Motlana was active in the ANCYL at the University of Fort Hare together with her contemporaries such as Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Joe Matthews, Duma Nokwe and Tiny Malangabi.
“Mentored by Father Trevor Huddleston from a young age, Mam’Motlana had the good fortune of being taught by political and intellectual luminaries such as Professor ZK Matthews and Godfrey Pitje at Fort Hare,” the family statement said.
“She also formed good relations with people such as Walter Sisulu and Lilian Ngoyi, who greatly influenced her political outlook.”
A teacher, Motlana left the profession after the introduction of Bantu education in 1953 because, in her own words: “I really didn’t think it was wise to poison our own children.”
She served in different capacities, including as president of the Black Housewives’ League; a leader of the Black Women’s Federation; a member of the council of the Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg; and vice-president of the South African Council of Churches. She was honorary vice-president of the council at the time of her death.
“Mam’Motlana used her leadership positions to expose the barbarity of apartheid throughout the world,” the family said.
She suffered intimidation, harassment, detention and torture in 1976, 1977 and 1978 under the Terrorism Act. The apartheid government confiscated her passport on several occasions
— Family statement
“For this, she suffered intimidation, harassment, detention and torture in 1976, 1977 and 1978 under the Terrorism Act.
“The apartheid government confiscated her passport on several occasions to prevent her from travelling outside the country to address various meetings and conferences.”
In 2007, Motlana was awarded the Order of the Baobab for her “excellent contribution to women’s emancipation and upliftment and her struggle for a nonracial, just and democratic South Africa”.
She was also admitted to the Order of Cyrene for her service to the Anglican Church.
Motlana was born in Pilgrim’s Rest in the then Eastern Transvaal and came to Johannesburg in 1931. She married the late Dr Nthato Motlana in April 1953.
After 1994, Motlana turned her attention to rehabilitating Christ the King church in Sophiatown.
“She continued to serve the community of Sophiatown, where she was involved in the education and upliftment of young people in the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre, on whose board she also served.
“Her commitment to social justice and the upliftment of her community never wavered, both inside and outside the church, and she was involved in programmes aimed at assisting vulnerable families and educating young women to the very end,” the family said.
Motlana's memorial and funeral services are still to be finalised.
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