Ruth First

Ruth First was a prominent South African anti-apartheid activist, scholar, and journalist born on May 4, 1925. She was deeply involved in the struggle against apartheid, advocating for racial equality and justice in South Africa. Born into a politically active Jewish family, she was influenced by her parents' commitment to social justice and communism. Ruth First studied at the University of the Witwatersrand where she became politically active, joining the South African Communist Party and later the African National Congress (ANC). Throughout her career, First used her skills as a journalist and academic to expose the brutal realities of apartheid, often at great personal risk. She was arrested and detained several times for her activism and writings. Notably, she served as the editor of the influential journal 'Africa South,' which challenged the apartheid regime’s policies and highlighted the resistance movement. In 1963, she was detained under South Africa’s 90-day detention law and subjected to harsh interrogation. After her release, Ruth First went into exile in London and later Mozambique, continuing her research and activism. Tragically, on August 17, 1982, she was assassinated by a parcel bomb sent by the South African security police while working at the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. Her death was a significant blow to the anti-apartheid movement but also highlighted the lengths to which the apartheid regime would go to suppress dissent. Ruth First remains a symbol of courage and intellectual resistance against oppression.