Noteworthy Events/Interesting Facts
Immigrated to South Africa in 1933 aged 18.
She soon became caught up in the intense political turmoil caused by the rise of fascism in Europe and joined the youth branch of the Labour Party. Served on both the district committee and national executive and in 1943 her effective public speakin
Was convicted in 1946 for assisting an illegal strike of black mineworkers.
In 1953 she was banned from 26 organisations and from attending any meetings; in 1958 her renewed banning orders included a ban on writing or publishing (she was a regular writer for periodicals in South Africa, other African countries and Europe).
She played a key role in organising the historic Women's March to Pretoria.
During the 1950's she started to organise with women. In 1956 she was one of the founders of the first multi-racial women's organisation, the Federation of South African Women, which was to be a stepping stone for some of its members to later become
Helped to found the South African Peace Council and was its national secretary until being banned.
In 1960 she was detained during the State of Emergency.
In 1963 her husband Rusty was arrested at Rivonia and charged together with Nelson Mandela and others. He was acquitted, rearrested, recharged then released on bail. Soon after his release Hilda fled from their home as the police came to arrest her.
In exile Hilda continued to be active in the ANC, including the Women's section and also the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the British Peace Movement.
In middle age and with four children to see to Hilda also forged a new life as an artist and writer.
Her work has been hung several times in the Royal Academy and is in both public and private collections throughout the world. It has also been used on book jackets and illustrations, on posters as greetings cards for the Anti-Apartheid Movement.
She had many one-person shows of her etchings, drawings and paintings in London and elsewhere and exhibited extensively in group shows of print-makers and women artists in the UK, USA, Europe and African countries.
She was awarded an Honorary Degree in 1998 from the University of Natal for her role in helping to bring democracy to South Africa.
At the time of her death at age 91 Hilda was living in Cape Town.
