Ruth Mompati was born in 1925 in Vryburg. From 1953 to 1961 she worked as legal secretary to Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo in their law practice. During the Defiance Campaign, Ruth became very prominent and became one of the leaders of the women’s March on the 9th August 1956. She went into exile in 1962 where she held office as secretary and head of the Women’s section of the ANC in Tanzania. From 1966 to 1973, Ruth remained a member of the ANC’s National Executive Council. During this time, she also formed part of the president’s office of the ANC.

One of Ruth’s more prominent roles is the one she played as the head of the ANC’s Board of Religious Affairs. Between 1981 and 1982, Ruth served as the chief representative of the ANC in the United Kingdom and became part of the delegation that opened talks with the South African government in 1990. In 1994, she was elected a member of parliament in the National Assembly. She was appointed ambassador to Switzerland from 1996 to 2000. She is currently the mayor of Vryburg in the North-West Province.