Nursing in Ciskei

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Cachet: The cachet is an illustration of the bronze statue of Cecilia Makiwane, shown standing in a long nurse's uniform with an apron and cap, her hands clasped in front of her holding what appears to be a small book or set of papers. The statue is rendered in muted greens and greys to suggest weathered bronze, standing on a plinth inscribed with her name. A soft pale blue wash fills the background, keeping the focus entirely on the figure. Below the illustration the cover reads "Nursing in Ciskei" in plain black type.

Info card

CECILIA MAKIWANE Cecilia Makiwane was born in 1880 at the Macfarlane Mission near Alice. She was the second child of the Rev. Elijah Makiwane and Mrs Makiwane of the Presbyterian Church. Cecilia qualified as a teacher at Lovedale College. At that time the medical superintendent of the Victoria Hospital at Lovedale, Dr Neil Macvicar, and the matron, Miss Mary Balmer, contemplated the training of Black women as nurses. In 1903 Cecilia Makiwane was selected as one of the first two Black women to commence training as a general nurse. Cecilia completed the course and sat for the final professional examination for general nurses of the Cape of Good Hope on 19 December 1907. She was successful in the examination and was admitted to the register of the Colonial Medical Council, on 7 January 1908 — the first Black woman in Africa to be admitted to a professional register as a fully qualified nurse. Cecilia never married. As a pioneer embarking on an unheard of career for a Black woman she was under much physical and emotional strain and that took its toll on her health. Victoria Hospital granted her long sick-leave and she went to her sister in the Transvaal to convalesce. She did not regain her health, however, and died and was buried in the Transvaal. Seventy years after she became the first Black state-registered nurse in Africa a statue of Cecilia Makiwane was unveiled in the grounds of the Victoria Hospital on 7 May 1977. Funds for the statue were donated by nurses of all races in the Republic of South Africa. The Cecilia Makiwane Medal is awarded annually to the Black nurse who attains the highest marks (above 75 %) in the South African Nursing Council's examination for the Diploma in General Nursing. A nurse from the Victoria Hospital received the medal in November 1980. The Black Trained Nurses Association, affiliated to the all-White South African Trained Nurses Association, was founded in November 1932. With the passing of the Nursing Act (No. 45 of 1944) the Black Trained Nurses Association disbanded and Black nurses became members of the South African Nursing Association. In February 1980 the Ciskei Nursing Association, with its own Board and President, was founded. Today there are 1 800 registered nurses in Ciskei. Student nurses are trained at the five state hospitals and basic training courses are offered for diplomas in general nursing and midwifery, as well as for the certificate as an enrolled nurse. Post-basic courses for the Diploma in Community Health and the Diploma in Paediatric Nursing are offered at the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital at Mdantsane. In 1982 the University of Fort Hare, in conjunction with the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital, introduced a basic nursing degree, a post-basic nursing degree, a diploma in nursing administration and community health nursing, as well as a master's degree in nursing. Cecilia Makiwane's courage, vision, and devotion to the welfare of her people enabled hundreds of her compatriots to follow in her footsteps.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 30 April 1982 in Alice, with a Ciskeian Nursing Association cancellation carrying the motto "Lift as you rise". The four stamps, illustrated by A H Barrett, depict Cecilia Makiwane herself alongside scenes titled "New Hope at Hand", "Trained to Serve" and "Trust Those Who Care", tracing the development of nursing in the region. Cecilia Makiwane became the first Black woman in Africa admitted to a professional nursing register when she qualified in 1908, decades before the founding of the Ciskei Nursing Association itself in 1980. A hospital in Mdantsane was later named in her honour, and an annual medal bearing her name continues to recognise top performing Black nursing graduates.

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