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Albertina Sisulu

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The Resume

    (October 21, 1918-June 2, 2011)
    Born in Tsomo, South Africa
    Birth name was Nontsikelo Thethiwe
    Married to fellow anti-apartheid activist Walter Sisulu (1944-2003)
    Joined the Women's League of the African National Congress (1948) and the Federation of South African Women (1954)
    Member of Parliament (1994-98)
    Nicknamed Ma Sisulu and Mother of the Nation

Why she might be annoying:

    She originally vowed to never marry and planned to become a nun. (A priest convinced her to become a nurse instead by pointing out that as a nun she would not earn an income to help out her family.)
    She did not become involved in politics until after her marriage to Walter.
    Despite having led several protests against South Africa's pass laws, she eventually applied for a state pass. (Granted, without one she would have not been able to visit her husband during his 25-year imprisonment at Robben Island.)

Why she might not be annoying:

    She finished first in a competition for a four-year high school scholarship, but was disqualified for being two years older than the rest of her class (as a result of having stayed out of school for long stretches to help care for her younger siblings).
    After protests in the Xhosa press on her behalf, a Catholic mission school offered her a scholarship.
    She became the sole breadwinner for her family when Walter quit his job to participate in the African National Congress fulltime (1947).
    She was subjected to banning orders, limiting her movements and prohibiting her from making political statements, for 19 years, longer than any other individual.
    Despite frequent arrests and police harassment, she was an important liaison between ANC leaders in jail and those underground or in exile.
    Her house was burned down after she pulled some younger relatives out of the Mandela United Football Club, a gang affiliated with Winnie Mandela.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 37 Votes: 48.65% Annoying