Judith Bham, solidarity campaigner and social justice activist (died 21/12/2022).
Judith Bham was one of those remarkable people who did not seek the limelight, and who yet made a significant political difference to the lives of thousands upon thousands of people. Judith was one of those people who ensured that things happened. It was not her desire to stand on a platform and make speeches. Judith’s forte was to organise communications, run the office and make sure that an organisation functioned.
I first came to know Judith through the Chile Solidarity Campaign, in the late 1970s where she worked alongside Mike Gatehouse, the secretary of the organisation and Ken Hulme, who was the trade union organiser. Our main involvement, though, was through the Anti-Apartheid Movement. Judith was an active member of the Haringey Anti-Apartheid Group and I was Chair of the London Anti-Apartheid Committee.
Judith met my friend Abdul Bham, a South African exile active in the African National Congress (ANC) at some point I can’t now recall. What I do know is that they were destined for each other. It was a lifelong love, and their affection for each other gave joy to so many people in so many different ways. They were an inspiration to us all, their skills complementing each other as they encouraged us in the campaign against what was undoubtedly an evil regime. They also used their senses of humour as a weapon of struggle. Abdul is impish. Judith had a dry wit, able to emphasise the ludicrous nature of apartheid.
I was able to get Judith onto an event platform only once. That was for the 30th anniversary of the Women’s March on Pretoria, which took place in Finsbury Park in 1986. Angela Davis was the keynote speaker. I got Judith onto the stage by insisting that it had to be an all-female platform. She understood the importance of the statement that was being made about women’s liberation, and she played her part that day. Judith was a hero of the struggle. Let us praise the women. Malibongwe. Judith was one of the rocks on which the struggle was built, and we remember the song, “When you have struck the women, you have struck a rock”.
In 2015 Judith and Abdul settled in South Africa where they continued to volunteer for local activities and supported initiatives in culture and heritage. Following a planned heart operation Judith contracted an infection which unexpectedly led to her untimely death. Rest in peace, dear comrade Judith. Hamba Kahle. Igama la Makhosikazi, Malibongwe!
Thanks to David Kenvyn for this appreciation.