Walter Madeley

Walter Bayley Madeley was a leader of the South African Labour Party and a cabinet minister.

Background

Madeley was born in Woolwich, England and got his schooling at Bombay Cathedral High School in India. In 1889, he became an apprentice at the Woolwich Arsenal. In 1896 he immigrated to South Africa where he was a fitter in a mine on the Rand. He joined the Amalgamated Society of Engineers and took part in various strikes. He was also the first vice-president of the Kimberley Trades Council, but was one of five of its leaders sacked by De Beers for their trade union activism. This led him to start giving public speeches, in opposition to victimisation. He relocated to the East Rand to find work, but was repeatedly victimised, and was compelled to start his own business in order to make a living.
Madeley was soon considered a leading figure in the Labour Party because of his exceptional ability. In the 1910 general election, he was first elected to the House of Assembly of South Africa as a Labour MP. He represented the districts of Springs, then Benoni.