Mary 'Pickhandle' Fitzgerald

This first biography of Mary Fitzgerald, who made an enormous contribution to the early history of Johannesburg, brings out of obscurity her extraordinary life. Arriving in Johannesburg in 1902, when women's place was in the home, she chalked up an amazing list of achievements. Against the backdrop of early industrial conflict, she became South Africa's first trade union organizer, a rabble-rousing orator, and a strike leader and leader of women's commandos, viewed by the authorities as an agitator. Fiery and fearless, she stood up to Minister of Mines Jan Smuts, the police, local and British troops, and scabs alike.