sa history
Bertha Solomon: SA women’s early liberator
As Women’s Month wraps up, it’s worth remembering Bertha Solomon. One of SA’s first female advocates, she fought tirelessly for women’s rights — particularly the rights of women married in community of property. It took her 27 years, but in 1953 she finally succeeded in getting the Matrimonial Affairs Act through parliament
25 August 2022 - 05:00
In the 1920s, shortly after she became one of the first women in SA to be admitted as an advocate, Bertha Solomon stumbled upon her true calling in life.
A mother of three young children had come to see Solomon for legal advice. The client’s husband was an alcoholic who’d been sent to a government “work colony” for three years (white men were typically sent away for “idleness” and/or “drunkenness”). While he was away, his wife had saved enough money to set up a flourishing café. On his return, he claimed to be a changed man, and offered to help his wife run the business. ..
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