Photo Gallery
2005 saw the Black Sash celebrate its Golden Jubilee – a remarkable milestone in the life of an NGO. They have been fifty extraordinary years. To paraphrase our Patron, Sheena Duncan:
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in the 1950s the Black Sash rode a tide of white protest against apartheid, and found ways of doing things which caught the attention of the press;
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in the 1960s the women of the Black Sash were labelled communists and told to return to their kitchens and children; |
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in the 1970s, a turbulent decade, the Black Sash was turned to as one of the most informed organisations on apartheid’s terrible advance; |
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in the 1980s our advice offices overflowed with people whose children had been taken into detention, or who had simply disappeared; |
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in the 1990s some thought there was no further need for human rights organisations, because we now had a Bill of Rights – but the Black Sash was more sought-after than ever; |
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and now, in the 21st century, we are still at it. Social justice, and socio-economic rights – promoting equality, eradicating poverty – are our focus. There is much work to do. |
In May and June of 2005, the Black Sash embarked on a celebratory Jubilee Campaign, which toured throughout the country. It was a roadshow with a message: as we toasted the Sash’s past achievements, we also examined new challenges facing civil society in helping to deepen South Africa’s young democracy.
Speakers at the eight Jubilee Campaign events – one hosted by each of our seven advice offices, plus a national Campaign launch in Cape Town – looked ahead to civil society’s role in the next decade, outlining opportunities for partnerships with government, cautioning against apathy on the human rights front, and encouraging renewed commitment to the progressive values which have, since 1994, become South Africa’s founding principles.
The Jubilee Campaign brought together hundreds of former Sashers, who created a real “buzz” in our Campaign venues. They joined with the organisation’s current generation, other past and present players in the civil rights arena, government representatives, and good friends – and we all raised a well-deserved cheer to our organization, its history, and its future.
For a gallery of Jubilee Campaign photos, click here.
Photographic Exhibition
Our Jubilee Campaign saw the debut of a new photographic exhibition, entitled “40+10”, which portrays how the Black Sash has reinvented itself over the decades, keeping pace with the times. Most recently, this has been described as a leap from fighting apartheid to building democracy, from defending civil rights to promoting social justice. The exhibition explores this leap through imagery from across our five decades.
To see more of “40+10”, click here.
Jubilee Campaign Speech Soundbites
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Marcella Naidoo, Black Sash National Director
Speaking at the national Jubilee Campaign launch at the Mayor’s Banqueting Hall, Cape Town Civic Centre, 19 May 2005.
The Black Sash has worked for the past “40+10” years to open possibilities for the people whom it serves – directly in its advice offices, and indirectly, through monitoring, advocacy and protest, for many thousands of others. Through its work, the Sash has also opened possibilities for its own members, who have found extraordinary purpose and a sense of belonging in the community of South Africans who stand for human rights.
For the full text of Marcella Naidoo’s speech, click here.
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Murphy Morobe, Head of Communications, the Presidency
Speaking at the national Jubilee Campaign launch at the Mayor’s Banqueting Hall, Cape Town Civic Centre, 19 May 2005.
Looking at the choices made, and the impact that those choices are having on the lives of ordinary South Africans who’ve benefited from the Sash’s new focus on promoting and protecting hard won freedoms, I can only say – Phambili!
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Geoff Budlender, Advocate at the Cape Bar
Speaking at the event hosted by our Cape Town Advice Office.
Mayor’s Banqueting Hall, Cape Town, 20 May 2005
In our Constitution, we promised each other and ourselves more than a vote every five years. What makes the Black Sash very unusual, almost unique, is that the views it expresses are based firmly on the real-life experiences of ordinary people – not people they have selected, but people who are self-selected, who are feeling the harsh edge of how things work in our country.
- Magauta Mphahlele, Director: Institutional Management, CCD, Dept. of Trade & Industry
Speaking at the event hosted by our Knysna Advice Office.
Ashmead Conference Centre, Knysna, 24 May 2005
[Soundbite to come.]
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Nombulelo Siqwana-Ndulo, Chair, Commission for Gender Equality
Speaking at the event hosted by our Grahamstown Advice Office.
City Hall, Grahamstown, 31 May 2005
Bureaucracy is by its nature inefficient, and left to its devices service delivery will either be very slow, sloppy or non-existent. Many who have applied for Identity Documents will agree. Vigilance and monitoring by civil society can have quite a big role by taking officials to account to improve service delivery.
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Judy Chalmers, MP
Speaking at the event hosted by our Port Elizabeth Advice Office.
City Hall, NMMM, 3 June 2005
Somehow we could sense, during those difficult years, that a new element had entered the arena, that there were too many points of resistance for the security police to contain, that too many homes were hiding cadres and comrades, that too much information was getting out of the country about the true situation within the country. And above all, that civil society was getting its act together and putting up a united front against the repression that lay like a dark pall across the length and breadth of the land.
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Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, Deputy Minister, Dept. of Health
Speaking at the event hosted by our Durban Advice Office.
Diakonia Centre, Durban, 6 June 2005
Our government has recognized and continues to acknowledge the role played by women in developing our country and our democracy. In recognition of their contribution, our President bestowed National Orders on several past leaders of Black Sash: Mary Burton was awarded the Order of Luthuli, and Jean Sinclair was posthumously awarded the Order of the Baobab.
May the Black Sash grow from strength to strength and reach a century!
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Phumelele Ntombela-Nzimande, Deputy Director General, Dept. of Communications
Speaking at the event hosted by our Pietermaritzburg Advice Office.
City Hall, Pietermaritzburg, 10 June 2005
As we ponder the role of civil society in this democracy, which the Sash so successfully fought for, we should ask – What lessons can we draw from the time of struggle to deepen our democracy now? Surely one of our major focus areas must have to do with building capacity – to ensure maximum participation from all who stand to benefit from our progressive movement.
- Kate O-Regan, Constitutional Court Justice
Speaking at the event hosted by our Johannesburg Advice Office.
Constitutional Court, Johannesburg, 14 June 2005.
[Soundbite to come.]
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