Ruth First

Heloise Ruth First OLG (4 May 1925 – 17 August 1982) na she be a South African anti-apartheid activist den scholar. Na dem assassinate am insyd Mozambique, wer na she dey work in exile, by a parcel bomb wey South African police build.

 Family den education 
Na dem born Ruth First on 4 May 1925 insyd Johannesburg to ein Jewish parents, Julius First den Matilda Leveta. Na Julius emigrate to South Africa from Latvia wen na he dey 10 years old, wey na Matilda emigrate from Lithuania wen na she be four years old. Na dem both be anti-apartheid activists wey na dem cam be founding members of de Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), de forerunner of de South African Communist Party (SACP). Na dem bing up Ruth First insyd Kensington wer na dem first raise she den ein bro, Ronald First, insyd a highly political household. At age 14, na Ruth be a member of de Young Left Wing Book Club. Like ein parents, na she join de Communist Party, wich na be allied plus de African National Congress insyd ein struggle to overthrow de apartheid government of South Africa.

As a teenager, na First attend Jeppe High School for Girls den then she cam be de first person insyd ein family to attend university. Na she receive ein bachelor's degree insyd Social Science from de University of the Witwatersrand insyd 1946, wey na she receive firsts insyd anthropology, economic history, sociology, den native administration. While na she dey university, na she find dat "on a South African campus, na de student issues wey dey matter be national issues". Na she be involved insyd de founding of de Federation of Progressive Students, dem sanso know as de Progressive Students League, wey na she get to know, among oda fellow students, Nelson Mandela, future Presido of South Africa, den Eduardo Mondlane, de first leader of de Mozambique freedom movement FRELIMO. Na she sanso be de secretary of de Young Communist League den for a short time, na she be active insyd de Johannesburg CPSA.

Insyd 1949, na she marry Joe Slovo, a South African anti-apartheid activist den Communist, plus whom na she get three daughters, Shawn, Gillian den Robyn. Togeda, na Slovo den First cam be a leading force insyd de 1950s protest era insyd wich na de government outlaw any movements wey oppose dema policies.

In addition to ein work plus The Guardian den ein successors, de South African Congress of Democrats (COD), a White-only wing of de Congress Alliance, na dem found am insyd 1953 plus support from First wen na de ANC express need for a group of White activists make dem endorse dema policies den break thru to members of de Nationalist party. Insyd 1955, na she assume de position of editor of a radical political journal dem call Fighting Talk. Na First den Slovo sanso be members of de African National Congress, in addition to de Communist Party. Na she sanso play an active role during de extensive riots of de 1950s. Na Ruth dey on de drafting committee of de Freedom Charter, buh na she ne be able to attend ein presentation on 25 June 1955 at de Congress of de People at Kliptown secof a banning order. Na Ruth sanso travel to de International Union of Students den de founding conferences of de World Federation of Democratic Youth. Na she visit de Soviet Union, China, Britain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, den France.

 Treason trial den detention 
Na First be one of de defendants insyd de Treason Trial of 1956–1961, alongside 155 oda leading anti-apartheid activists wey na be key figures insyd de Congress Alliance. Na First ein early work den writings be largely used as evidence to prove treason on behalf of de Congress Alliance.

 Exile den assassination 
Insyd March 1964, na First go into exile insyd London, wer na she cam be active insyd de British Anti-Apartheid Movement. Na Ruth edit de biographies of Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, den Oginga Odinga insyd de late 1960’s den early 1970’s. Na she travel across Africa between 1964 den 1968 make she study independence struggles insyd Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, den Sudan. As a result, na she be established as a scholar of international standing. Na she be a Research Fellow at de University of Manchester insyd 1972, den between 1973 den 1978 na she lecture insyd development studies at de University of Durham. Na she sanso spend periods on secondment at universities insyd Dar es Salaam den Lourenço Marques, Maputo.

Insyd November 1978, na First take up de post of director of research at de Centre of African Studies (Centro de Estudos Africanos), Universidade Eduardo Mondlane insyd Maputo, Mozambique. Na dem assassinate am by de order of Craig Williamson, a major insyd de South African Police, on 17 August 1982, wen na she gbele a parcel bomb wey na dem send to de university. Na Bridget O'Laughlin, an anthropologist wey dey work plus First, na she dey insyd First ein office wen na dem murder am, wey na she testify to de Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Na Presidos den ambassadors wey komot 34 different countries dey for ein funeral insyd Maputo on 24 August 1982.

Memoirs
Na First ein book, 117 Days, be ein account of ein arrest, imprisonment den interrogation by de South African Police Special Branch insyd 1963. Na dem first publish am insyd 1965. De memoir dey provide a detailed account of how na she endure "isolation den sensory deprivation" while she dey withstand "pressure to provide information about ein comrades to de Special Branch".

Na ein daughter, de writer Gillian Slovo, publish ein own memoir, Every Secret Thing: My Family, My Country, insyd 1997. Na ebe an account of ein kiddie time insyd South Africa den ein relationship plus ein activist parents.
Films
Na de film A World Apart (1988), wich get a screenplay by ein daughter Shawn Slovo wey na e be directed by Chris Menges, be a biographical story about a young white girl wey dey live insyd South Africa plus anti-apartheid activist parents, although na dem call de family Roth insyd de film. Barbara Hershey dey play de character based on Ruth First.A World Apart (1988) - Reference view - IMDb. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via www.imdb.com.

Na de 2006 film Catch a Fire about de activist Patrick Chamusso be written by Shawn Slovo, den insyd am na First be portrayed by anoda daughter, Robyn Slovo, wey na she sanso be one of de film ein producers.Catch a Fire (2006) - Reference view - IMDb. Retrieved 21 June 2025 – via www.imdb.com.
Patrol vessel

Insyd 2005, na de South African Department of Environmental Affairs launch an environmental patrol vessel dem name Ruth First.BuaNews, 20 May 2005: "SA's marine protection vessels". Retrieved 11 March 2013.

Insyd March 2011, na de country of The Gambia issue a postage stamp insyd ein honour, wey dem dey name am as one of de Legendary Heroes of Africa.
Main works dem publish



 (with R. Segal), 

 (co-edited with J. Steele and C. Gurney), 

 (with Ann Scott), 


 References 

 External links 

Ruth First Papers online
Ruth First papers at the University of London
Ruth First Educational Trust provides opportunities for South African postgraduate students to study at Durham University.
The First pan-African martyr, Mail & Guardian, Adekeye Adebajo, 25 August 2010
Ruth First Jeppe High School for Girls Memorial Trust Archived 27 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine was set up in July 2010 and will award scholarships for full tuition at Jeppe High School for Girls for the duration of secondary school education.  It is aimed at girls in Grade 7 that show characteristics of leadership, courage, determination and the ability to influence their community positively.
Remembering Ruth First, a woman with vision, passion, by Peter Vale, The Daily Dispatch, 17 August 2012

Category:20th-century South African politicians
Category:1925 births
Category:1982 deaths
Category:South African people
Category:Human
Category:Academics of Durham University
Category:African politicians dem assassinate insyd de 1980s
Category:Jews dem assassinate
Category:South African activists dem assassinate
Category:South African politicians dem assassinate
Category:Deaths by explosive device
Category:Deaths by letter bomb
Category:Jewish feminists
Category:Jewish socialists
Category:Jewish South African anti-apartheid activists
Category:Jewish South African politicians
Category:Members of de South African Communist Party
Category:People dem acquit of treason
Category:People dem kill insyd South African intelligence operations
Category:People dem murder insyd Mozambique
Category:Politicians dem assassinate insyd 1982
Category:Prisoners den detainees of South Africa
Category:Recipients of de Order of Luthuli
Category:Slovo family
Category:South African anti-apartheid activists
Category:South African civil rights activists
Category:South African communists
Category:South African exiles
Category:South African feminists
Category:South African people dem murder abroad
Category:South African people of Latvian-Jewish descent
Category:South African prisoners den detainees
Category:South African socialists
Category:South African women civil rights activists
Category:South African women insyd politics
Category:White South African anti-apartheid activists