Mother of the Struggle: Albertina Sisulu Passes On in Johannesburg
On 2 June 2011, mother and stalwart of the liberation struggle, Albertina Sisulu, fondly known as “Mama Sisulu”, the wife of the revolutionary giant, Walter Sisulu, passed on at her Linden home, Johannesburg, at the tender age of 92. Often referred to as the “Mother of the Nation”, she was a nurse and one of the most important leaders of the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle in South Africa. Mama Sisulu was renowned for her fearless opposition to the apartheid regime, her pivotal role in women’s empowerment, and her lifelong advocacy for education and human rights. She was buried next to her husband, Walter at Newclare Cemetery, Johannesburg, on 11 June 2011.
Born Nontsikelo Thethiwe in the Tsomo district of the Transkei on 21 October 1918, she was the second of five children of Bonilizwe and Monikazi Thethiwe. Albertina Sisulu’s mother survived the Spanish Flu, but was constantly ill and very weak because of this. It fell upon Nontsikelelo, as the eldest girl, to take on a motherly role for her younger siblings. She had to stay out of school for long periods of time, which resulted in her being two years older than the rest of her class in her last year of primary school. She adopted the name Albertina when she started her schooling at a Presbyterian mission school.
After being orphaned as a teenager, she was obliged to help provide for her younger brothers and sisters. Abandoni
