 When Florence Matomela was the president of the Eastern Cape branch of the ANCWL, she met with Frances Baard, who was a leader in the Food and Canning Workers Union (FCWU), and Ray Alexander, who was the general secretary of the FCWU in Port Elizabeth.Together they called a meeting to discuss the possibilities of creating a national women's organisation.There is no formal record of the meeting, however Ray Alexander said that about 40 women attended.