Heloise Ruth First (4 May 1925 – 17 August 1982) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and scholar. She was assassinated in Mozambique, where she was working in exile, by a parcel bomb built by South African police. Ruth First’s parents were founding members of the Communist Party of South Africa, and she followed in their footsteps, dedicating her life to the fight against apartheid. Despite facing persecution and imprisonment, she remained resilient in her efforts to expose racial segregation policies and advocate for a more just society.