Memorial Lecture Recalls Dr Phyllis Naidoo’s Contributions to SA’s Archival History

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UKZN, in collaboration with the Gandhi Luthuli Documentation Centre, hosted the annual Dr Phyllis Naidoo Memorial Lecture.

Under the theme: 'The Commemoration of the 70^th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter, and the 2025 Inquest into the Death of Chief Albert Luthuli', the lecture was facilitated by Dr Vishal Surban of UKZN’s School of Law.

In her welcome address, UKZN’s Portfolio Head for Special Collections, Dr Roshini Pather, said it was an honour to gather and celebrate the enduring legacy of Dr Phyllis Naidoo as a courageous and principled leader in South Africa’s liberation struggle and the recipient of the Order of Luthuli.

“Dr Naidoo’s immense contribution to the freedom movement is preserved through her generous donation of personal letters and political papers to our University,” said Pather. “These invaluable documents are housed in the Centre and they provide a powerful and intimate record of the resistance against apartheid, illuminating the sacrifices, victories and moral courage of those who fought for a democratic South Africa.”

Delivering the keynote address, Ms Julie Frederikse, an acclaimed author and producer, recounted how she met Naidoo in Harare, Zimbabwe, during their time together as exiles, their return to South Africa after the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, and how they continued to be friends for another two decades in Durban after their return.

Commenting on the two themes and their intersectionality with Naidoo, Frederikse said: “The adoption of the Freedom Charter in Kliptown, Soweto, in 1955 was the result of the African National Congress and the Congress Alliance sending their members to consult with individuals throughout South Africa and learn about their dreams for a post-apartheid society” - a dream that Naidoo strongly believed in, and that was especially important to her because of her training and work as a lawyer, and its grounding and founding principles on the Constitution of the new South Africa.

Highlighting the Freedom Charter as a domestic document that closes off with foreign policy, Frederikse told of how Naidoo understood the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region’s contributions to the struggle, and how she would have been dismayed that 70 years later its vision was still to be realised, particularly in terms of economic transformation.

Touching on the inquest into Chief Albert Luthuli’s death, Frederikse said Naidoo would be heartened by the continued efforts to go against impunity and uncover the real cause of his death. She noted further connections between the two icons namely, Naidoo’s book 156 Hands That Built South Africa - that featured Luthuli, her contribution to Luthuli’s acceptance speech of his Noble Peace Prize, her Order of Luthuli award, as well as her passing at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital after her battle with a heart ailment in 2013.

Noting how Naidoo had turned down a position in parliament, so as not to compromise her own values, Frederikse lauded her as a principled individual, who had integrity, was held in high esteem, down to earth and committed to women’s rights. She revisited how Naidoo, as a woman based in a male dominated world, challenged the stereotypes by always wearing trousers and smoking cigarettes in public.

A regular at Badgers Restaurant in Glenwood, Durban, she said Naidoo was well-known and treasured with a sandwich being named after her, quotes from her books being placed up on the walls, and a wake being held there after her passing.

Frederikse noted the unbreakable bond between her and Naidoo in their shared obsession as papyrophiliacs - collecting papers with historical value. “Phyllis had stacks of paper in her house in Harare as well as her flat in Umbilo, and would often ask my husband to build more shelves for her,” she quipped.

Through her literature works of biographies of those sung and unsung heroes who were part of the liberation struggle and important archival letters and clippings, that have since been donated to the Gandhi Luthuli Documentation Centre, Naidoo has made a huge impact in South African literature and history.

Professor Kovin Naidoo, Global Head of Advocacy and Partnerships at the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation and brother of the celebrated Kumie Naidoo, reminisced on his first meeting with ‘Auntie Phyllis’ and how he remembered her as strong and one of the first women leaders.

He said the struggle incorporated a high level of intelligence, militance, and care philosophies that Naidoo lived by. Reflecting on the current political landscape strife with corruption, he called on that militancy to be reinstated for individuals to be reminded of the concept of hard work, of building a non-racial society and of patriotism.

Dr Annie Devenish, historian, researcher and gender activist based at University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) reflected on the idea of the Freedom Charter as a living document, the significant contributions of women to its development, and the opportunity that lies ahead for South Africans to breathe new life into it.

Mr Donald Mlindwa Gumede, former member of parliament and son of the acclaimed Archie Gumede, recounted Naidoo’s efforts as an individual who lived and sacrificed for the Freedom Charter through her exile, countless arrests, and the death of her sons.

Mr Jay Nair, brother of Billy Nair, shared his memory of Albert Luthuli as man who valued education. He reflected on his journey as someone who was forced into exile during the struggle period and now is permanently based in Canada.

A Q&A session was held with discussions taking place on the issue of rights being put into practice, the identity South Africans, in spite of race, colour or creed, and xenophobia.

To view the Dr Phyllis Naidoo Memorial Lecture, click here.

Words: Hlengiwe Khwela

Photograph: Andile Ndlovu