Who was Amina Cachalia, Woman Who Rejected Nelson Mandela’s Marriage Proposal

A INDIAN-ORIGIN LADY AMINA CACHALIA refused a marriage proposal from her dear friend Nelson Mandela out of loyalty to her late husband in the 1990s. Amina was married to veteran ANC activist Yusuf Cachalia but when her husband passed away, Mandela proposed to her. After spending 27 years in jail, Nelson Mandela's marriage with Winnie Mandela ended. This whole incident is mentioned in the autobiography of Amina Cachalia 'When Hope and History Rhyme.' 

The book Hope and History Rhyme, talks about Amina’s remarkable life journey from her early age to her participation in the women’s march on the Union Buildings took place on August 9, 1956, to her banning, in the year 1962, for almost 15 years. This book includes crucial details of Amina’s close relationship and bonding with Nelson Mandela, from their first meeting to their poignant encounters after his release from the jail  in the year 1990.

21st Birthday Party Amina Cachalia: 

Nelson Mandela was invited to Amina Cachalia’s 21st birthday party and later on she visited Mandela in the Pollsmoor Prison. "We knew they were good friends, he was a friend of the family; he dropped in all the time. It didn't come as a surprise to us," Ghaleb Cachalia, son of Amina Cachalia, once said. 

Amina Cachalia's husband, Yusuf, passed away in 1995, when Nelson Mandela was heading for divorce from his second wife, Winnie Mandela, after that he proposed to Amina for marriage. Amina Cachalia’s son said, "She wanted to honour the legacy of my father and that is why she rejected the marriage proposal. She was a strong, independent woman. She wanted to live her life close to her grandchildren." Cachalia’s father had joined Mohandas Gandhi in passive resistance to the South African government. Ghaleb added. "My father was the love of her life." 

Who was Amina Cachalia?

Amina Cachalia was born in the year 1930, into a politically conscious family. From a very early age, Amina was associated with the Transvaal Indian Congress — an association that works to organize armed resistance against British rule— whereas her father served as the Chairperson of its forerunner, the Transvaal British Indian Association. Later on, Amina’s father joined the African National Congress (ANC).

In the early 1950s, Amina Cachalia joined the ANC, and worked extremely hard to make the Defiance Campaign a crucial success by distributing leaflets, making home visits and recruiting volunteers for the same. Amina was also sentenced to 14 days in Boksburg Prison because of her contribution in the Germiston March.

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Amina was extremely concerned about the oppression of women. In the year 1948, Amina established the Women’s Progressive Union, an organisation that particularly works to make women financially independent in society. On April 17, 1954, the Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) was launched in Johannesburg. It was considered as the first attempt to establish a broad-based women’s organisation.  

On August 9, 1956, a campaign culminated in a national march which was conducted by 20, 000 women of all races to the Union Buildings to present their petition against passing laws to Black women.  Amina was a strong and independent woman, she has played an important role in the struggle for equal rights since the 1940s. 

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