Black Sash

In the past I have briefly alluded to the fact that I was a member of the Black Sash.

Just some background information regarding the history of the Black Sash Movement.

“The Black Sash represented the mourning of the death of the Constitution.  The women’s first black sash was draped across a symbolic replica of the Constitution while at a rally protesting the Senate Bill.  The women decided to adopt the name of the powerful and metaphorical symbol they proudly wore.  At the first National Conference in Bloemfontien in April 1956 the new name was officially inaugurated.

All members wore their black sashes as they held protests “stands” (standing outside of Parliament, courts and other areas representative of apartheid injustice).  Sometimes the women would lay a piece of black fabric across the steps of buildings where they were protesting.  With a black sash draped over their shoulder the members became iconic for their dignified and elegant style of protest.  In later years legislation was passed restricting their rights to protest in groups, and they had to stand in lonely one-woman vigils.

As a very impressionable teenager, I had such admiration for the Black Sash.

I used to dream about standing outside the houses of parliament with my black sash draped over my shoulder. The environment I grew up in was very alienating and narrow minded.  I was mindful of the fact that most members of my extended family voted to keep the status quo in place.  However, one fine day I plucked up the courage and made enquiries about becoming a member.  As you can imagine every potential member had to be thoroughly vetted, and I was overjoyed when I was informed that my membership application was accepted.

I will never forget the feeling of sheer terror and great excitement when I finally got to wear that sash and stand in a lonely one-woman vigil at the feet of Queen Victoria’s statue in front of the main Library in Govan Mbeki Avenue.  To be fair, we were never entirely alone; our sisters were always a few paces away keeping an eye on us in case we needed them in a moment of crisis.

Often a few of us would stand 20 meters apart wearing our sashes and holding a banner with an informative or protest slogan, like “Free The Press to Tell the Truth or Abolish Apartheid Legislation”.   Public feedback was interesting and at the same time very alarming.  Some men would scream things like “Go home and do your f@!*%ing knitting or they would spit at us.

I am not joking, huge big globules of spit accompanied by a string of abuse.  

No matter what kind of abuse was levelled at us, we had to remain silent – legislation demanded that of us.  I had great admiration for my sisters, they were stoic and brave, staring down abuse with a deadpan expression is not easy.

In 1989 a group of Black Sash members in solidarity with striking Wits Medical students, staged a protest along Jan Smuts Avenue.  If my memory serves me correctly there were about 10 or 12 of us, protesting peacefully in compliance with the relevant legislation, the South African Police decided to arrest us under the Expression of Communism act of 1950, an old outdated act!

“Anyone who opposed government policy could be deemed a communist”

This happened at eight o’clock in the morning.  Oh I am sure you can just imagine the verbal abuse that was hurled at us by motorists en route to work!

We were taken to the Park Town Police Station – I would love to say “fun and games were had by all”.  It was all pretty alarming and a touch frightening, as these chaps were not exactly friendly or welcoming.   We insisted on our rights and each one of us was able to make that one phone call.  I telephoned my boss to tell him what had happened, he was fabulous and along with husbands, friends and partners of women who had been arrested came down to the police station to try and negotiate our release. 

We were in this really big room on one side Sash woman and on the other side Policemen, lots of them, we all traded insult after insult.  The Cops got tired of us, they called for backup, when all of a sudden this really big (in every aspect) man, in a threatening and menacing manner marched into the room, shouting at us, he told us to behave ourselves as we were in so much trouble; When out of the blue a voice from our side, a very annoyed and loud voice from the oldest Sash member present, who clearly had had enough of this charade, yelled: “Ag! Why don’t you shut up and get a life!”  There was a deathly silence, for a good while (it seemed like eternity) no one said a word.  Needless to the say the very large man fled, he decided that we were all too much to handle.

Shortly after this incident we were released.  Apparently Klaus von Lieres, the Attorney General of the Witwatersrand, berated the Police for arresting us in the first place; he was inundated with calls from various politicians, ambassadors and journalists wanting statements about our arrest. We were  free to go! 

The Black Sash Advice offices played a critical role in assisting folk who were being harassed, overlooked and neglected by the regime of the day.  We were able to assist so many families in applying for their pension, or assisting folks who had been forcibly removed from their homes, in searching for people who had been detained by the security police. We were indeed a voice, a crucial voice in highlighting unfair and unjust laws and practices.  We certainly were a thorn in the side of the ruling party. Unafraid and courageously in the face of physical and mental threats, we spoke out against injustice.  To this day I am so proud of the role we played in trying to create a fair, just and equitable future for all.