1929 - 2007

Activist, Nurse, Branch chair of the African National Congress (ANC), Founder of the African-Asian Solidarity Movement and the Pan-African Women’s Organisation

Adelaide Tambo became a courier for the ANC and joined the ANC Youth League while still studying at Orlando High School in Johannesburg.

While working at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto as a nurse, she met and married Oliver Tambo, a young lawyer and national secretary of the ANC at the time. In 1960, ANC president Albert Luthuli told Oliver to set up an External Mission outside South Africa to drum up support for the anti-Apartheid cause. Adelaide and her children followed Oliver into exile, only to return 30 years later.

Adelaide worked two jobs in London to keep them afloat. She organised ANC functions enabling exiles to meet and consistently participated in community work, caring especially for the elderly. In 1990, after the unbanning of all political parties, the Tambo family returned to South Africa. In 1994, Adelaide represented the ANC in Parliament and worked as the Treasurer of the ANC Womens League. Former president Nelson Mandela paid tribute to her at her funeral, saying, Our movement has lost a stalwart, one who represented that greatness of spirit that made it a great organisation.

Did You Know?

In 2002 Adelaide Tambo was awarded the Order of the Baobab in Gold, given to South African citizens for their services in business, science, medicine, for technology innovation and community service.