Prominent women in the CPSA and the trade unions
In the 1940s the number of politically active women in the CPSA increased. Among the most prominent were Ray Alexander, Hilda Watts (later Bernstein) Betty Sacks (later Redford) and Joey Fourie. Dora Tamana (squatter movements) and Josie Palmer (women and passes) were heavily involved in community-based resistance. Women in the CPSA and the trade unions cooperated closely and encouraged steps to organise women on a larger scale. Ray Alexander, Joey Fourie and Bettie du Toit, all of whom were CPSA members, were also trade unionists. In the 1940s the number of female trade union organisers increased, and these ‘old stalwarts' were joined by others such as Hilda Watts and Pauline Podbrey. Important black women who became trade union organisers included Hetty du Preez, Lucy Mvubelo, Liz Abrahams, Elizabeth Mafeking and Frances Baard. The Garment Workers Union (GWU), the Food and canning Workers Union (FCWU) were among the trade unions that were most active. Many of these women later rose to political prominence in the 1950s through their participation in the structures of the CPSA and the trade unions.
