Famous People Who Died On Christmas
The most famous leaders of the anti-apartheid fight in South Africa are, rightly, Black. But they had some notable compatriots who practiced true allyship. One of the most dedicated was Helen Joseph. Encyclopedia.com's list of her anti-apartheid actions is far too long to include here, but rest assured she was charged with high treason, spent two 5-year terms under house arrest, was "banned" twice, and spent four months in jail to avoid testifying against Winnie Mandela. In fact, the New York Times says Winnie considered Joseph to be "family," and Nelson Mandela wrote to Joseph from his prison cell on Robben Island.
Joseph was also declared a "listed person," which was supposed to mean she wasn't allowed to be quoted in the press, but she continued speaking out. "You can't silence yourself," she told one interviewer. While under house arrest, she explained, she was not allowed to "leave the magisterial area of Johannesburg, or be in any Black area, or factory, or communicate with any banned or listed person. Nor could any of my friends visit me in my home, or even walk down my garden path, nor could I attend any gatherings, social or political."
Despite having cancer and a heart attack, Joseph held on long enough to see Nelson Mandela finally released from prison in 1990. And in March 1992, just shy of her 86th birthday, Joseph voted in the referendum to end apartheid. However, she died on Christmas Day of that year, so she did not live to see Mandela become president of South Africa.
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