Noel Williams (South African politician)

Noel John Williams (born 1948 or 1949)[1] is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist from Cape Town. He is known for his community and labour activism in Atlantis, and he represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly during the first democratic Parliament.

Noel Williams
Personal details
Born
Noel John Williams

1948 or 1949 (age 73–75)
CitizenshipSouth Africa
Political partyAfrican National Congress

Early life and activism

Born in 1948 or 1949, Williams grew up in Windermere, a Coloured location on the N1 in Cape Town.[1] He moved to Atlantis, on the outskirts of Cape Town, in 1975, and there he rose to political prominence as a leader in anti-apartheid civic activism.[1]

In 1985, he entered the trade union movement, becoming a shop steward for the South African Allied Workers' Union at the 3M factory in Atlantis. When the Congress of South African Trade Unions was launched in the Western Cape in January 1986, Williams was elected as regional vice-chairperson.[1] Already detained twice for his activism in 1985, for several weeks, he was detained again in June 1986 during the prevailing state of emergency. He was held for seventeen months and later told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he had been deprived of food and held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods.[2]

Upon his release, Williams was served with a banning order,[2] but he resumed his activism. When the ANC was unbanned by the apartheid government in 1990, he was elected to the interim regional executive of the party's new Western Cape branch; he also retained his position as chairperson of the Atlantis Residents' Association.[3]

Post-apartheid political career

Williams represented the ANC in the National Assembly during the first post-apartheid Parliament. He was not initially elected in the 1994 general election[4] but joined the assembly during the legislative term, filling a casual vacancy.[5] He did not stand for re-election in 1999,[6] but he remained the chairperson of the Atlantis Residents' Association for many years thereafter.[7]

References
  1. "Noel Williams – Fighting for our jobs" (PDF). Grassroots. 7 (1): 2. 1986.
  2. "Williams, Noel John". Truth Commission Special Report. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  3. Area Repression Report. Human Rights Commission. 1990. p. 42.
  4. South Africa: Campaign and Election Report April 26–29, 1994. International Republican Institute. 1994. Retrieved 13 April 2023 – via Yumpu.
  5. "Members of the National Assembly". Parliament of South Africa. 3 June 1998. Archived from the original on 28 June 1998. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  6. "General Notice: Electoral Commission Notice 1113 of 1999 – Final List of Candidates" (PDF). Government Gazette of South Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: Government of South Africa. 26 May 1999. p. 242. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  7. "Atlantis residents march for jobs and houses". Cape Times. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2023 – via PressReader.
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