Northern California CCDS

A Legend in Her Own Time

An interview with Wilhelmina Trout, South African trade union activist

During their 2009 tour of southern Africa, members of the Vukani Mawethu Choir had an opportunity to meet with trade union activist Wilhelmina Trout. Trout has a long history of activism in the South American labor movement, from the early years under apartheid to the formation of Africa’s largest labor federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). She also served as coordinator for the Gender and Trade Union Education Project, at the Institute of Development and Labor Law at the University of Cape Town, Now retired, she works closely with the South African Service and Allied Workers Union, the Self Employed Women’s Union and the Sexual Harassment Education Project.

Vukani Mawethu Travels to Southern Africa

by Alex Bagwell

Vukani Mawethu Choir had its origin and purpose in the process of the political emancipation gained by South Africa. The choir developed as anti-apartheid fervor became the alternative avenue for many peoples the world over (not least in the Bay Area) who were fighting for jobs, housing, food, education and other human needs. In other words, this single issue encompassed all the issues around which they were already in struggle.

In 1997, the choir made its first trip to South Africa. The African–African American historical and