Emma Mashinini

Emma Mashinini
Emma Mashinini
Born	21 August 1929; Rosettenville, Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	10 July 2017 (aged 87)
Other names	"Tiny Giant"
Education	Bantu Secondary School
Alma mater	Honorary doctorate in literature and philosophy, Unisa
Occupations	Trade unionist; Land commissioner; Textile worker;
Employer	Henochsberg's Clothing Factory
Organizations	Secretary of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (1975–1986); Member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC); Director, Department of Justice and Reconciliation, Anglican Church of Southern Africa (1986); Commissioner, Restitution of Land Rights (1995–2002);
Notable work	Strikes Have Followed Me All My Life, autobiography
Awards	The National Women's Assembly for Labour award (1986); The Gauteng Premier's Award for Women Achievers (2001); The Lifetime Social Leader Award (2007); The Trevor Huddleston "Not for Your Comfort" Award (2008); The Elijah Bahayi Award (2008); Order of the Baobab (2007); National Order of Luthuli in Bronze (2007);

Emma Mashinini (21 August 1929 – 10 July 2017^[1]) was a South African trade unionist and political leader. Living in Johannesburg, her family was forcibly displaced several times during her childhood. She started working at age 14 and soon became a union organiser at her garment factory. She became active with the African National Congress (ANC) in 1956. Mashinini served for 12 years on the executive board of the National Union of Clothing Workers (NUCW) and founded the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) in 1975. She was arrested and detained without charges for six months in 1981–82.

Mashinini played several important roles in the transition to ANC rule in the 1980s and 1990s. She served on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and went on to become a Commissioner for Restitution of Land Rights. Her autobiography, titled Strikes Have Followed Me All My Life, was published in 1989 and republished in 2012. She received numerous awards and decorations, including the Order of the Baobab and the Order of Luthuli.

^ Cite error: The named reference SAHO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[SAHO-1] Cite error: The named reference SAHO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1]

Emma Mashinini
Born	(1929-08-21)21 August 1929 Rosettenville, Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	10 July 2017(2017-07-10) (aged 87)
Other names	"Tiny Giant"
Education	Bantu Secondary School
Alma mater	Honorary doctorate in literature and philosophy, Unisa
Occupations	Trade unionist Land commissioner Textile worker
Employer	Henochsberg's Clothing Factory
Organizations	Secretary of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (1975–1986) Member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Director, Department of Justice and Reconciliation, Anglican Church of Southern Africa (1986) Commissioner, Restitution of Land Rights (1995–2002)
Notable work	Strikes Have Followed Me All My Life, autobiography
Awards	The National Women's Assembly for Labour award (1986) The Gauteng Premier's Award for Women Achievers (2001) The Lifetime Social Leader Award (2007) The Trevor Huddleston "Not for Your Comfort" Award (2008) The Elijah Bahayi Award (2008) Order of the Baobab (2007) National Order of Luthuli in Bronze (2007)

Emma Mashinini

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia