In 1969, South Africa's apartheid government arrested anti-apartheid
leaders and activists nationwide for a key planned show trial. Among
them were seven women, three of whom (including Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela) have since died. This book by South African
journalist Shanthini Naidoo uses rich interview material to share the
previously unknown stories of the four imprisoned women who are still
living: Joyce Sikhakhane-Rankin, Rita Ndzanga, Shanthie Naidoo, and
Nondwe Mankahla. These four freedom fighters were held in solitary
confinement for more than a year and subjected to brutal torture in a
bid to force them to testify against their comrades. But they refused to
do so, which forced the whole trial effort to collapse. Women Surviving
Apartheid's Prisons explores how women from different oppressed
communities in South Africa defied traditional gender expectations and
played a key role in the overthrow of Apartheid.