1889 - 1981

President of the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) (1956), Teacher, Member of the African Women’s Association, Member of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), National Vice-President of the Federation of South African Women (FedSAW), 1956 Treason Trialist

Bertha Mkhize was one of the most prominent political activists and businesswomen of her time. Originally a teacher, she was a pioneer in the struggle for womens rights, helping launch both the ANCWL and FedSAW.

Mkhize was one of the first students to attend Inanda Seminary, an independent Christian boarding school founded by American missionaries in 1869 and one of the first women to attend the Ohlange Institute, founded by first ANC president John Dube in 1900.

She was also one of the first African women to run a business in KwaZulu-Natal, a remarkable achievement given the limited commercial opportunities available for black women at the time. She started a tailoring business in Durban in the early 1920s with her brother (one of the first African tailors in Durban) and stayed operational until 1965 when African companies were forced to leave the city.

Mkhize had a reputation for speaking her mind and worked tirelessly to help women. She set up crches, sewing groups and literacy classes and was trying to start an old age home at the time of her death.

Did You Know

From age 69 when most people were retiring, Mkhize devoted her time to promoting the Bahai faith, founded by Bahaullah, a 19th century Persian prophet and prisoner who believed in the unity of all nations, races and religions. She was a prolific translator of Bahai literature into isiZulu and helped establish 28 Bahai communities in KwaZulu-Natal.