Albertina Sisulu addresses a major anti-apartheid rally in London.

For her very first trip abroad, Albertina Sisulu was accompanied by her Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) comrades, Sister Bernard Ncube and Jessie Duarte.  This was after Sisulu had received her passport which was valid for only 31 days. The group was later joined by United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders; Curnick Ndlovu, Azhar Cachalia and Titus Mafolo. The delegation’s expedition was primarily to call for increased sanctions on the apartheid government. The apartheid government was guilty of human rights abuses and persecution of anti-apartheid activists in the form of assassinations, detentions, bombings and bannings. The group visited four countries; Sweden, France, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA). The delegation held their meetings in the United Kingdom at the Anti-apartheid Movement headquarters; there they met with Neil Kinnock the then leader of the British Labour Party and other members of the Labour Party as well as religious organisations and leaders. The main issues that the delegation discussed during their meetings were that of then President F.W. de Klerk’s governance, which they believed to have disregarded the welfare of South Africans and the call for sanctions.  Sisulu addressed a rally held in London on 21 June 1989 to protest against Margaret Thatcher and F.W. de Klerk imminent meeting. Thatcher was the then British Prime Minister. Sisulu proclaimed “De Klerk needs more money, he needs more loans from your banks, to keep apartheid going- to pay the army and buy arms. He is asking Western countries to help the Nats stay in power.”