Annemarie Hendrikz

“It was challenging to know that we were doing the work that the government should be doing on some levels, and on other levels we were counteracting the harm and the evil that was being perpetrated by the regime in the apartheid era.”

—Annemarie Hendrikz

Annemarie Hendrikz was born in Johannesburg on the 19^th of June, 1940. She joined the Sash in Cape Town in the early 1980s, having recently divorced her husband of 20 years. She was employed by the organization as a rural fieldworker in the Southern Cape and Western Cape. One of her main tasks included doing court monitoring of people who had been unfairly arrested and detained in rural areas. Later, she became the Coordinator of the advice office in Cape Town, and then the National Advice Office Coordinator.

Her decision to join the Sash was a result of her desire to become involved in the antiapartheid struggle, and her thoughts of “what was going on in the antiapartheid movement, particularly as a woman.”

Rose Meny-Gibert

“We worked strictly within the framework of the law, but we pushed boundaries all the time. And it was possible to push the boundaries, and we were always looking for ways to do that.”

—Rose Meny-Gibert

Rose was born on the 30^th of April, 1947 in Durban. She was raised in an activist household, with very socially-aware and involved parents. Her mother was involved in mainstream politics, particularly the Progressive Federal Party. She joined Black Sash in 1979 after living in Iran for two years with her husband. Her motivation for joining was to learn more and become more active, which she felt was the only way to justify staying in South Africa. Rose remained in the Sash because there she was able to find a supportive, like-minded group of women. The Black Sash provided her with an outlet to express her opinions candidly, knowing that she would not be shunned for them.

Vertrees "Candy" Malherbe

“The best thing about the Sash was the feeling that one was doing something concrete, because some of the things we did were practical and hands-on helping people; and secondly, the political education that one got in the Sash and just the comfort of like-minded people.”

—Candy Malherbe

Candy was a unique member of the Sash because, unlike many others who were born and raised in South Africa, she grew up in the United States. Born on a farm in Maryland in 1927, Candy never anticipated moving to South Africa. After graduating from Wellesley in 1949, Candy was employed by the Class Reports Office at Harvard University. It was during this time that Paul Malherbe, her South African husband-to-be, was obtaining his Masters degree in Chemical Engineering from the nearby Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The two wed in 1952, and she immediately moved with him to Durban, eager for adventure. When she moved to the country, she knew little about South Africa as it “wasn’t really on the map for Americans at that time.” However, Candy had always been interested in politics, being raised by a political family and subsequently majoring in Political Science at Wellesley.

Sandy Hoffman

“One thing that was really, really nice about Black Sash was that it provided a home for anybody, anybody wanted to say something. It wasn’t just for hard-line, academic politicians. It was for anybody who wanted their voice to be heard.”

—Sandy Hoffman

For Sandy Hoffman, a lack of involvement in the antiapartheid struggle was never an option. As a child, she could tell that her mentality toward people of colour defied societal norms. She recalls waving to black children on a school bus, and the subsequent disapproval that ensued from her Afrikaner friends. Before she could understand the politics of apartheid, she knew that something about South African society was unjust.

Sandy was born on April 12^th, 1958 into a household that she describes as being distinctly different than others in her small, Afrikaner town. From a young age she was able to recognize that her home had “a different feel” than the others she encountered, because it was more tolerant. Her parents were members of the South African Party, the liberal white party of the time.

David Viti

“If, in those days, you were going along, if you were seen in the township, and then somebody would say, ‘this is one of the members of the Sash.’ You would be welcome with warm hands because the people knew then that the Black Sash, you know, was our savior.”

—David Viti

Judging from his name, one can discern that Mr. David Viti was never an official member of the Black Sash. However, he was a committed employee to the organization for 39 years.

David began working for the Black Sash on the 5^th of September, 1962. He received the job from the recommendation of a lawyer, Mr. Dichmont, who was married to Joan Dichmont, a member of the Sash. Mr. Dichmont wanted David to work three months for the Sash to get basic clerical training, and then he would go to work for the law firm. However, after that time period was up, David had impressed the organization so much that they told Mr. Dichmont to “go and get yourself another David. This one is ours!”

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Biographies

Annemarie Hendrikz

Rose Meny-Gibert

Vertrees "Candy" Malherbe

Sandy Hoffman

David Viti