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legislation. She later said that, during discussions on the Bill, "I could talk from experience about the importance of women being included in that legislation." She was also a member of the Joint
Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of the Quality of Life and Status of Women and supported the
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was a rare issue on which women received men's support, because the men hoped to be granted paternity leave and "have a holiday and a rest from work". As an organiser, Komape-Ngwenya advocated for certain women's issues, such as the unionisation of women night-cleaners and their resistance to the
295:
she faced. For example, to challenge the presumption that she would be responsible for domestic chores in the office, she drew up a chore roster for the men. In addition, Komape-Ngwenya argued that male unionists were rarely concerned with the problems faced by women workers; she said that
263:
to find domestic work, her father was unemployed and the family was increasingly impoverished. In 1954, having completed
Standard Eight (grade ten), Komape-Ngwenya left school to find work in a small town. She later moved to Johannesburg, where, after stint as a domestic worker in
441:
and poverty. In 1973, Komape-Ngwenya left her husband, taking her children. It was at this point that Komape-Ngwenya became known as "Lydia Kompe": having been married as Lydia Komape, she acquired a forged ID document, under the name Lydia Kompe, that identified her as
436:
Komape-Ngwenya had three adult children, all of whom trained to be teachers. Her first child was born in 1956 and she married in 1958. She later described her marriage as unhappy, partly because of the pressure created by
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388:. Only now I was doing this for the sake of the people who put me there. It is unlike before when I was forced by circumstances to leave my children."
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284:(MAWU) in 1974. She was elected as a shop steward in 1976 and later the same year, helped organise a strike in solidarity with protestors in the
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to go to
Parliament with her earlier experience leaving her children to work in Johannesburg, saying, "It was a continuation of my life as a
288:. After the strike, Komape-Ngwenya and other shop stewards were fired, and in 1977 she was hired by MAWU as a full-time union organiser.
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244:. One of seven children, Komape-Ngwenya later described herself as the "daughter of a peasant"; she grew up on the farm of the local
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At the time, Komape-Ngwenya was the union's only woman organiser, and she later reflected on her attempts to resist the
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in Bronze for her "commitment to workers' rights, the empowerment of rural women and the liberation of our people."
515:
233:
221:
124:
590:
Ngwenya, Lydia (2018). "On being a woman Member of
Parliament in South Africa". In Mukhopadhyay, Maitrayee (ed.).
503:"General Notice: Notice 1319 of 1999 â Electoral Commission: Representatives Elected to the Various Legislatures"
361:
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The following year, Komape-Ngwenya returned to the rural
Transvaal and worked as a full-time fieldworker for the
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and raised livestock and sweet potatoes. Her family and other tenants lost their land rights in 1950 under an
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in 1990. The movement functioned as an umbrella lobby group and was a prominent grassroots voice in the
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As part of her union work, in 1978, Komape-Ngwenya was asked to establish the
Transvaal branch of the
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204:, Komape-Ngwenya rose to political prominence in the mid-1970s as one of the few senior women in the
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327:'s Transvaal Rural Action Committee, which at the time was focused on supporting those affected by
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312:); she remained active in TGWU until 1985. During this period, she was involved in founding the
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in 1979 â and particularly in establishing the federation's women's committee â and later the
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in
Limpopo, and received a special official funeral which was addressed by Limpopo Premier
339:; among other things, the movement opposed proposals to exempt traditional leadership from
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Komape-Ngwenya died on 18 October 2023. She was buried in
Tsimanye, a village near
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331:. Drawing on her experience with the committee, Komape-Ngwenya co-founded the
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rather than black and that therefore allowed her to escape some pass laws.
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416:, Komape-Ngwenya left the National Assembly to take up an ANC seat in the
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During her first term in the assembly, Komape-Ngwenya was a member of the
208:. In 1986, she returned to the rural Transvaal, where she worked for the
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249:
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passage of the
Maintenance Bill to grant legal recognition to
884:"Komape-Ngwenya laid to rest in Tsimanyane village, Limpopo"
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South Africa: Campaign and
Election Report April 26â29, 1994
749:"COSATU mourns the passing of Comrade Lydia Komape-Ngwenya"
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and as a nurse-aide in a hospital, she found factory work.
910:"F Chikane unveils names of recipients of National Orders"
514:. Vol. 408, no. 20203. Pretoria, South Africa:
1038:
Women members of provincial legislatures of South Africa
593:
Governing for Equity: Gender, Citizenship and Governance
276:
While working at the Heinemann Electric factory outside
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Women members of the National Assembly of South Africa
599:. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute. pp. 13â15.
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to attract greater attention to women's issues in the
420:. She served two terms there, gaining re-election in
27:
South African politician, activist and trade unionist
691:"The Rise of Women's Trade Unionism in South Africa"
393:
Portfolio Committee on Agriculture and Land Affairs
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107:
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88:
70:
52:
34:
232:Komape-Ngwenya was born on 6 August 1935 in rural
173:; 6 August 1935 â 18 October 2023), also known as
1023:Members of the National Assembly of South Africa
177:, was a South African politician, activist, and
360:, Komape-Ngwenya was elected to represent the
1033:Members of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature
8:
1008:21st-century South African women politicians
1003:20th-century South African women politicians
54:Member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature
983:People from Capricorn District Municipality
301:sexual exploitation of their supervisors.
31:
675:– via South African History Online.
368:. She was re-elected to further terms in
661:"Lydia Kompe: Fighting for Rural Rights"
314:Federation of South African Trade Unions
259:Though Komape-Ngwenya's mother moved to
491:
1018:21st-century South African politicians
1013:20th-century South African politicians
988:South African women's rights activists
318:Congress of South African Trade Unions
280:, Komape-Ngwenya was recruited by the
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804:"Lydia Kompe-Ngwenya â South Africa"
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306:Transport and General Workers' Union
998:South African women trade unionists
727:International Republican Institute
511:Government Gazette of South Africa
25:
462:and ANC Deputy Secretary-General
66:6 May 2009 â 7 May 2019
1043:Members of the Order of Luthuli
830:"Limpopo MPLs elected April 22"
380:. She later compared moving to
347:Post-apartheid political career
282:Metal and Allied Workers' Union
206:Metal and Allied Workers' Union
72:Member of the National Assembly
689:LaNasa, Peter (12 June 2015).
545:"Lydia Komape-Ngwenya (1935â)"
418:Limpopo Provincial Legislature
248:Mission, where her father was
191:Limpopo Provincial Legislature
84:9 May 1994 â May 2009
1:
993:South African trade unionists
337:negotiations to end apartheid
256:betterment planning scheme.
218:negotiations to end apartheid
189:from 1994 to 2009 and in the
779:South African History Online
695:South African History Online
224:after the end of apartheid.
167:Makwena Lydia Komape-Ngwenya
626:"Lydia Kompe (nÊe Ngwenya)"
478:awarded Komape-Ngwenya the
308:(TGWU, until then based in
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516:Government of South Africa
474:In March 2009, President
362:African National Congress
272:Labour and rural activism
183:African National Congress
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155:African National Congress
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59:
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914:South African Government
424:, and retired after the
228:Early life and education
222:South African Parliament
856:"Makwena Lydia Ngwenya"
333:Rural Women's Movement
214:Rural Women's Movement
181:. She represented the
939:Makwena Lydia Ngwenya
426:2019 general election
414:2009 general election
358:1994 general election
133:Union of South Africa
112:Makwena Lydia Ngwenya
941:at People's Assembly
378:Limpopo constituency
36:Lydia Komape-Ngwenya
701:on 8 September 2017
408:Limpopo Legislature
402:customary marriages
376:, representing the
193:from 2009 to 2019.
781:. 14 February 2013
737:– via Yumpu.
464:Maropene Ramokgopa
202:Northern Transvaal
950:Los Angeles Times
890:. 21 October 2023
860:People's Assembly
755:. 13 October 2023
667:: 5â7. April 1994
632:. 23 October 1935
476:Kgalema Motlanthe
366:National Assembly
352:National Assembly
236:, a village near
220:. She joined the
187:National Assembly
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16:(Redirected from
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959:with Shamim Meer
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916:. 25 March 2009
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838:. Retrieved
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814:14 September
812:. Retrieved
808:Gender Links
807:
785:14 September
783:. Retrieved
778:
769:
757:. Retrieved
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731:. Retrieved
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705:26 September
703:. Retrieved
699:the original
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671:14 September
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144:(2023-10-18)
89:Constituency
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29:
978:2023 deaths
973:1935 births
834:Politicsweb
456:Groblersdal
397:land reform
238:Pietersburg
175:Lydia Kompe
18:Lydia Kompe
967:Categories
894:25 October
759:25 October
486:References
412:After the
325:Black Sash
210:Black Sash
118:1935-08-06
957:Interview
947:with the
945:Interview
888:SABC News
439:pass laws
382:Cape Town
320:in 1985.
278:Alexandra
266:Hyde Park
254:apartheid
242:Transvaal
129:Transvaal
80:In office
62:In office
733:13 April
522:26 March
444:Coloured
246:Lutheran
920:24 June
865:24 June
840:24 June
636:24 June
470:Honours
356:In the
234:Matlala
200:in the
185:in the
171:Ngwenya
125:Matlala
93:Limpopo
953:(1997)
753:COSATU
729:. 1994
554:11 May
293:sexism
250:deacon
665:SPEAK
597:(PDF)
506:(PDF)
450:Death
310:Natal
169:(nÊe
922:2023
896:2023
867:2023
842:2023
816:2016
787:2016
761:2023
735:2023
707:2016
673:2016
638:2023
556:2023
524:2021
422:2014
374:2004
372:and
370:1999
139:Died
108:Born
466:.
41:OLB
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