The South African Parliament in the 1960s was not a friendly place if you were an opponent of apartheid, the system which kept the races separate and aimed to perpetuate white control of South Africa. But one courageous individual consistently challenged the ministers who controlled this oppressive, racist regime: Helen Suzman.
Suzman was the only MP for the anti-apartheid Progressive Party and all the more remarkable because she was for 6 years the only woman in the South African Parliament. She relentlessly questioned ministers, repeatedly challenging them as to why they denied human rights to the black majority of the population. On one occasion this led to an outburst from a member of the government, who accused her of putting forward questions in order to embarrass South Africa overseas. Helen calmly replied, ‘It is not my questions that embarrass South Africa — it is your answers.’
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