Lillian Ngoyi

Lillian Matabane Ngoyi
Born
Lilian Masediba Matabane

(1911-09-25)25 September 1911
Died13 March 1980(1980-03-13) (aged 68)
NationalitySouth African
Other namesMa Ngoyi
OccupationActivist
Known forFighting Apartheid, Women's rights

Lilian Masediba Matabane Ngoyi, "Ma Ngoyi", OMSG (25 September 1911 – 13 March 1980) was a South African anti-apartheid activist. She was the first woman elected to the executive committee of the African National Congress, and helped launch the Federation of South African Women.

Prior to becoming a machinist at a textile mill, where she was employed from 1945 to 1956, Ngoyi enrolled to become a nurse. In 1962, she was given her first banning order and would not be permitted to leave her house in Orlando, Soweto for the rest of her life, except for a three year period from 1972-1975.