Table Of Content‘This necessary reclaiming of the female narrative in the resistance to
apartheid unmutes the voices of many extraordinary, long-suffering women.’
– Margaret Busby, CBE, Hon. FRSL
‘A vivid, moving and gripping book. Focussing with great empathy on the
experiences in solitary confinement of four women, Naidoo brings to life
the female experience of apartheid. Through these deeply personal stories,
she explores the role played by trauma in shaping people’s lives. This unique
book is a must read.’
– Mary Harper, BBC Africa Editor
‘This book does the tangible work of elevating the many untold stories and
lives of women in the struggle for democracy in South Africa. As one turns
the pages, you are left stirred with visceral emotions because we are these
women, and they are us. This work is important in the collective healing of
the wounds in our hearts.’
– Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng,
UNHCR Rapporteur on the right to health
‘In this unique book, Shanthini Naidoo offers new ways of understanding
the ongoing trauma experienced by individuals, communities and nation
states following political oppression and armed conflict. Focused on the sto-
ries of four female South African freedom fighters, the frequently unknown
or unacknowledged female struggle against apartheid is centered and cele-
brated. Critically, the importance of listening, telling and understanding, as
a way of achieving justice and freedom, is laid out.
Beautifully written, Women in Solitary is both a powerful and accessible
contribution to life-story research, providing insights into the importance
of storytelling as an act of remembrance and healing. These extraordinary
stories tell us about the gendered experience of resistance, as well as the
indelible connections between state institutions and individual actors. In
doing so, this book will be of great interest to scholars across the social
sciences and humanities.’
– Dr Finola Farrant, Head of Department Social Sciences,
University of Roehampton, UK
‘In this important and so eloquently written book, Shanthini Naidoo nar-
rates the stories of women who shaped South Africa’s political life. Their
lived experiences of trauma, torture, and imprisonment craft a critical lens
through which to examine the complex struggles of women activists. This
is thought-provoking reading that will interest organisers, campaigners and
scholars alike. It has much to offer to both the untold herstories of South
Africa, as well as broader debates in gender studies and critical criminal
justice scholarship.’
– Dr Anastasia Chamberlen,
University of Warwick, UK
Women in Solitary
Women in Solitary offers a new account based around the narratives of four women
who experienced detention and torture in South Africa in the late 1960s when the
regime tried to stage a trial to convict leading anti-apartheid activists.
This timely book not only accords the four women and others their place in the
history of the struggle for freedom in South Africa, but also weaves their experi-
ences into the historical development of the anti-apartheid movement. The book
draws on extended interviews with journalist Joyce Sikhakhane-Rankin, trade un-
ionists Shanthie Naidoo and Rita Ndzanga and activist Nondwe Mankahla. Winnie
Mandela’s account of her time in detention is drawn from earlier published accounts.
The narrative brings to light the unrelentingly brutal and comprehensive character
of the attempt to silence resistance and break the spirit of the activists, both to dis-
rupt organisation and to intimidate communities. It is testament to the triumph and
strength of conviction that the women displayed. It also reflects the comprehensive
nature of the resistance. The women fought not only as organisers, recruiters or
couriers, but also in solitary confinement, resisting all its deprivations, the taunts by
interrogators and anxieties about their children. And when they took the fight into
the courtroom, they prevailed. The book weaves their experiences into the histori-
cal development of the struggle in a way that highlights broader issues, drawing out
the particular ways in which women’s experience of activism and repression differs
from that of men, in terms both of the behaviour of the police and of the women’s
ties with community, family and children.
The book’s broad timespan underpins the psychological effects of sustained sol-
itary confinement and its traumatic legacy, asking whether, by not attending more
consistently to healing the trauma done to a generation by brutal repression, we
allow it to contribute to social ills that worry us today. Women in Solitary is ideal
reading for anyone interested in the history of apartheid, the criminalisation of ac-
tivism and women’s imprisonment, as well as scholars and students of penal and
feminist studies.
Shanthini Naidoo is a former Sunday Times (South Africa) journalist who works in
content marketing. She has also worked for The Times newspaper and O, The Oprah
Magazine. Naidoo lives in Johannesburg and holds a Master’s degree in Journalism
and Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand. The thesis “Women
in Solitary” forms the basis of this book.
Women in Solitary
Inside South Africa’s Female
Resistance to Apartheid
Shanthini Naidoo
Cover by Polygram
First published 2022
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2022 Shanthini Naidoo
(Originally Published by Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers, Cape Town,
South Africa in 2020)
The right of Shanthini Naidoo to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Naidoo, Shanthini, author.
Title: Women in solitary: inside South Africa’s female
resistance to apartheid / Shanthini Naidoo.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York,
NY: Routledge, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2021030154 (print) | LCCN 2021030155 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032133676 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032133652 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003228905 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Women political prisoners—South Africa. |
Women anti-apartheid activists—South Africa. | Solitary
confinement—South Africa. | South Africa—Politics and
government—20th century.
Classification: LCC HV9850.5 .N35 2022 (print) |
LCC HV9850.5 (ebook) | DDC 365/.450820968—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021030154
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021030155
ISBN: 978-1-032-13367-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-13365-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-22890-5 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003228905
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
For Veradya and Yovari
May you always find your strength
Contents
Acknowledgements xi
About the author xii
Glossary xiii
Prologue 1
1 The legacy of trauma 4
2 Finding the women 10
3 The trial 17
4 Joyce Sikhakhane-Rankin 25
5 Shanthie Naidoo 48
6 Rita Ndzanga 65
7 Nondwe Mankahla 78
8 “Rooi Rus” Swanepoel 94
9 Winnie Madikizela-Mandela 103
10 Aftermath 115
