One of the beautiful new murals unveiled on the corner of Pope Street and Kingsley Road, Salt River is that of Gadija Isaacs.
As an employee of the clothing manufacturer Rex Trueform, situated on Main Road, Salt River, she was the first woman of colour to serve on the executive committee of Garment Workers Union.
The murals, which were created by local artists, pay homage to influential people who lived and made an impact on the area.
The murals were unveiled during the Salt River Heritage Society’s annual Heritage Street Festival on Saturday 30 September.
The aim of the event is to collate and preserve the heritage and history of the community.
On the day, several other murals including that of Soraya Abbas, founder of Molo Songololo, Karima Brown (apartheid activist and journalist) and Gladys Thomas (author) were unveiled to acknowledge “four remarkable freedom fighters”.
Nadia Agherdine, granddaughter of Isaacs, said her grandmother’s impactful life story reflected her commitment to making a positive change in her community and advocating for workers’ rights and social justice throughout her career.
Agherdine explained Isaacs, originally from Kimberley, married husband Amien at the age of 17.
After their marriage the couple moved to Wankie in Zimbabwe and later settled in Bulawayo.
They were married for three years and had a daughter, Fatima, who was born in Kimberley in March 1927.
Her husband died shortly after the birth of their daughter.
In 1940, Isaacs started working for the St John’s Ambulance Association as a junior nurse.
“Her career in nursing was a significant part of her life and likely contributed to her later involvement in workers’ rights and social justice.”
Agherdine explained Isaacs and her daughter relocated to Cape Town and in 1954 she purchased a house in Salt River. She worked at Rex Trueform from 1954, where she served as a garment finisher and became passionate about workers’ rights.
“Hardworking and dedicated to improving conditions for the workers, she was soon elected a shop steward in the Garment Workers Union. She was elected by the workers to represent their interests in dealing with management.”
Also read: Salt River Heritage Society acknowledged for its contribution to the promotion of local history
Isaacs made significant contributions to the union, including representing it at international conferences in the 1960s in countries such as England, Holland and Switzerland. “She also served on the executive committee for the Bursary Fund,” Agherdine said. “This offered educational bursaries to doctors from Salt River. She was instrumental in securing housing subsidies for many workers and their families, in this way improving their living conditions.”
Daughter Fatima, now 96 years old, said she was proud to hear about her mother’s accomplishments and to see her being honoured in this way.
Artist Moegamat-Natheer Hoosain said it took him about three weeks to complete the murals due to inclement weather.
“It was raining quite a lot in September. Normally, it would take me more than a week. I used spray paint and normal acrylic paint as well.”
The Hoosain explains that he is grateful to be part of the project because he grew up in the area.
“I was happy to do something nice in my community. I lived here for many years before I moved. I have not recently returned. For me, it is just about the art and making it look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.”
