Gail Carolyn, News24 User
I would like to pay tribute to Helen Suzman, a white woman recognised throughout the world as having been principled and unafraid of the apartheid government from the time they came to power until her death.
It is an opportune moment to remind all those who read these columns of several facts of which many appear to be unaware:
It took a woman like Helen Suzman to care about the voiceless people of this nation.
Not all white people living in South Africa supported the apartheid government's policies.
Black people were not the only ones who were persecuted by the apartheid government for their beliefs.
The present Democratic Alliance is the heritage of that gutsy first Helen and strangely enough is lead by another equally capable woman, Helen Zille.
Afrikaners and English supported Helen Suzman throughout that dark period of our history. They may not have bombed people and killed in the name of apartheid but they too were discriminated against and watched and could suffer the same fate as that suffered by other Africans. Many did go into exile and in fact leave these shores and work from abroad.
The Apartheid government took us out of the Commonwealth and turned us into a Republic.
In conclusion, let us remember all those who supported the brave and tenacious Africans who voted for Helen and eventually Prof Frederick van Zyl Slabbert, Tony Leon, Colin Eglin and so on through those years.
The name of the party was the Progressive Party, the Progressive Federal Party, the Democratic Party and today it stands as the Democratic Alliance under another woman called Helen Zille who goes about her task tirelessly, unsung and criticised by many who incorrectly believe she was part of the old nationalist party and therefore has no struggle credentials.
This Helen is too busy serving the people by being the conscience of the ANC and the voice for the voiceless majority whom the current ANC treat as badly as did the NP and NNP.
I salute the women Helen Zille and Helen Suzman and all those who serve the people and don't think that the people exist to serve them and praise them and most importantly enrich them. They do not seek wealth or power for themselves but justice and a better life for all.
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