‘She looked the truth in the eye, which is the spirit imbued in this prestigious scholarship.” These are the words of Judge Albie Sachs who spoke of his friend Ruth at the launch of the Ruth First scholarship on Monday night.
‘She looked the truth in the eye, which is the spirit imbued in this prestigious scholarship.” These are the words of Judge Albie Sachs who spoke of his friend Ruth at the launch of the Ruth First scholarship on Monday night.
This scholarship intends to support students who are studying on a full-time basis at Rhodes University towards a Masters or Doctorate in fields with a strong social and human rights orientation such
as Media Studies, Sociology and Democracy Studies.
Candidates should also be able to demonstrate financial need and disadvantaged social origin. First was born in 1925 into a politically aware family. Her father, Julius, was the founder member of the South African Communist Party.
First followed along her father’s path by becoming an exceptional South African socialist, leading anti-apartheid activist, investigative journalist and scholar.
She was killed in 1982 by a letter bomb while working in Mozambique. Ruth’s daughter, Gillian Slovo, who was not at the launch, wrote a letter about her mother and the scholarship.
“We can think of no better way to keep the spirit of Ruth alive than to encourage a combination of intellectual excellence and political commitment, these being the principles by which Ruth lived and for which she died.”
Slovo believes these principles are important to Rhodes which is the reason they have chosen the university to provide the scholarship.
“Ruth would have been tickled pink that Rhodes is offering this scholarship. The university is taking the lead by providing such a scholarship because it is honouring someone who was radical, critical and brave,” added Judge Sachs.
He repeatedly expressed how important it is to keep the memory of Ruth and her remarkable intellect alive. “She wouldn’t accept easy answers and shoddy reasoning.”
This is another aspect of the scholarship, as the candidates need the courage to pose difficult social questions, they need to be interested in linking knowledge and politics and scholarship and action.
“It is a good sign that Rhodes is offering the scholarship. It shows that transformation is happening in many ways,” concluded Judge Sachs.
