William Andrews

William Henry Andrews (20 April 1870 – 26 December 1950) was the first chairman of the South African Labour Party (SALP) and the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of South Africa. He was also active in the formation of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union.

Biography Born in Leiston Suffolk, to Francis Andrews, a fitter, and Sarah Hannah Belmoor. In 1907, when the Transvaal Colony obtained self-government, Andrews, as Labour party leader, was elected to one of three seat his party won in the election.

In 1922, as part of the Committee of Action, he and others coerced the South African Industrial Federation into calling a general strike the resulted in the Rand Revolt. After a visit to Moscow in 1937, he was permitted to re-join on 1 May 1938 at the age of 68 after Solly Sachs, Moses Kotane, and Brian Bunting were re-admitted.