The Journey, The Battles, The Gloy

Mary Manning, the young 21-year-old girl who started the ball rolling when she refused to handle grapefruit from South Africa, as she and ten others made a stand against apartheid.

Mary said in an interview, none of us knew anything about South Africa before the strike. I knew about Nelson Mandela and Steph Bilko, but that was it. Nimrod Sejake was a trade unionist from South Africa. He was exiled to Ireland. He told us a lot about what people in South Africa were going through. Nimrod explained that South Africa was like a pint of Guinness: a small number of whites on the top and all the black people underneath. After over 30 years in exile, Sejake returned to South Africa in the early 1990s. He continued his activism by establishing socialist reading groups in his hometown of Evaton, remaining committed to worker’s rights and socialist principles until his death, in 2004.

The thing that got us was that it was based on your colour, you can hide your religion or your political party. It started as a union instruction but it became something we truly believed in. We thought we’d be on strike for a couple of days but it lasted two years and nine months.

We were living on £21, pounds a week strike pay.  We were there six days a week. It was tough.

We had low points. “We all had moments when we felt down”, we had to support each other.

Marius Schoon, a white South African anti-apartheid activist thanked them for what they were doing. His wife and daughter had recently been murdered. According to an article in An Phoblacht. They realized that the worst thing that could happen to them was that they would lose their jobs, but in South Africa people were losing their lives. That made them more determined. A lot of people told them that what they were doing was going to hurt the black people of South Africa because they were affecting their income.  Some people pushed past them and said they were stupid little girls.

“The spark had been lit-the fire was just beginning” 

Nelson Mandella

A turning point was that Bishop Tutu asked to meet the strikers, this changed people’s attitude. People began to think that maybe they were right. Bishop Tutu asked them to go to South Africa to see what was happening there. They raised the money and in July (1985) they went, but when they got off the plane. They were met by soldiers, they were held for eight hours, and put on a flight back home.  The fact that they didn’t let them in made frontline page news. People began to ask’ Well why won’t they let them in?   This courageous group achieved more than they thought they would. They just wanted the right not to physically handle South African goods, but then the Government did ban fruit and vegetables from South Africa.

Ireland was the first country in Europe to do it.

This legendary team was unstoppable!

Archbishop Tutu expressed gratitude

to the Irish people for their exceptional

support in their fight against apartheid

”

“Striking Back’ Should be part of every Irish child’s education. It speaks of morality and courage and would tell them that Ireland does not have to be a country of sleazy secrets and dodgy deals” - Gene Kerrigan

When Nelson Mandela died, someone on the radio suggested that they should go to South Africa. Two days later they were on the plane, it was incredible. The funeral was a celebration of his life. The atmosphere was so special. It was unbelievable to see people’s response to what he had done. They were told that what they were doing was harming people in South Africa, so to have people come up to the Dunne’s Stores Stikkers and thank them, felt like a vindication.

In Mary Manning’s own words

We’re all still close to this day. We’re very proud of what we did!

Mary Manning. My Connection to South Africa  Ireland.ie

“The stand taken by the Dunnes Stores strikers wasn’t just about apartheid of labor rights; it was about the power of ordinary people to shape the world. Today, as we face new injustices-whether in supply chains, workers’ rights, or global inequality-their story is a reminder that solidarity still matters. The choices we make, the things we refuse to accept, and the voices we choose to amplify define the kind of world we want to live in.”