Albertina Sisulu 'the mother of the nation'

This biography has been written in chapters, please refer to the contents on the right to view the different periods in Albertina Sisulu's life.

Parliament and Retirement (1990s-2008) :

“But to us really, apart from what is happening, we think the country's future is bright. Because starting from so many hundreds of years back when the people were fighting, now at this level we feel that we are near the goal. That is why we are hopeful. Really, we have been always optimistic that the end of this country will end up being what the people want it to be. To be a non-racial democratic South Africa. I think we are getting to that. We are working hard for this constituent assembly that is going to draft the constitution of the country. So that is why we say, at least there are those processes that are going on. That is why we are hopeful. That really we are forging ahead”. - Albertina and Walter Sisulu a extract from an Interview in Blue Portraits by Reiner Leist (1991)

Walter Sisulu was released in 1989; Albertina finally had her husband back. In the same year she was part of the UDF delegation that met United States president, George Bush, to establish relations between the two countries.

When the ANC was unbanned in 1990, Albertina worked on a committee that re-established the ANC Women’s League. At the time she was the organisation’s deputy President. On 9 August, Albertina and other women from exile set up the first ANC Women League branch in Durban. In April 1991 The ANCWL held its conference and Albertina Sisulu was nominated to stand for President in the election but she withdrew in favour of Getrude Shope.

In 1991 Albertina was elected to serve on the ANC’s national executive committee and Walter was elected ANC Deputy-President to avoid a potentially divisive contest between Thabo Mbeki and Chris Hani. The pair attended the ANC conference in Lusaka where Albertina was elected the convener in South Africa. Her responsibility was to ensure that the structures of the ANC, especially the women’s section were being addressed. In August of the same year, Albertina and Walter visited Singapore, Australia and Mauritius. Later in the year they visited North America (7 major Canadian cities and New York, Washington, Atlanta and Boston).

Finally in April 1994, the Sisulu’s observed the transition of their country in its first democratic elections. Albertina and Walter both became members of parliament and 1994 was a time of celebration and family; Walter was reunited with Father Trevor Huddleston on the latter’s return to South Africa and on 17 July Walter and Albertina celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

In 1996 Walter traveled overseas for his last time, Albertina went with him. They were on a fundraising trip to the USA, Ireland and the UK on behalf of Education Africa.

In 1998 Albertina celebrated her 80th birthday, at this time she was still working as a Member of Parliament, as the president of the World Peace Council and as an ANC leader in her home constituency of Orlando West, Soweto. But at the end of 1999 Albertina and Walter left parliament for the last time and retired from politics completely.

In 2002, ‘Walter and Albertina Sisulu: In Our Lifetime’, a biography by Sisulu’s daughter-in-law Elinor, was launched by the Nigerian poet Ben Okri, who also wrote a tribute for Walter’s 90th birthday. The following year, while on their way to bed, Walter collapsed and died in Albertina’s arms.

Albertina has been bestowed with various awards and honors for her courageous lifelong struggle for human rights and dignity; most recently in 2007 a South African motor-way in Gauteng was named after maSisulu. Over the coming months we will be working on the compilation of a list of all of these awards and honors. Albertina is still committed to The Albertina Sisulu Foundation, which focuses on the plight of small children and old people.

On 21 October 2008, Albertina and the nation celebrated her 90th Birthday.
This account of Albertina Sisulu has purposely avoided focusing only on significant dates and events in favour of a more holistic appreciation of the person of MaSisulu, as it is her character and personality that enabled her to change South African history as she did.

Elinor Sisulu writes the following about Albertina:

“I never failed to be amazed by the way Albertina coped with a workload that would exhaust most people half her age. After a full day at the surgery, she would return home to find local activists waiting to see her. Most days of the week, she would face another three to four hours of meetings before going to bed. Her weekends were also mostly taken up with meetings and frequent interviews with local and overseas journalists, many of whom were interested in the mobilisation of women under apartheid.”

Elinor Sisulu’s memory of one of her mother-in-laws sermons to her children, who were depressed because their husband was in jail, goes as follows:

“We should remember that so many people are suffering under apartheid, that women have lost husband and children and we cannot allow ourselves to be depressed and miserable because that is what the enemy wants.”