[DEBATE] : South African liberal politics

[Sean Jacobs]

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7 
-1442_2230164,00.html

...But who will clean up?

Nov 30 2007 09:07:50:390AM

Pieter Malan

Veteran politician Helen Suzman says the thought of having to make do  
without household staff overseas has kept her in SA.

  London - Veteran politician Helen Suzman says she has considered  
leaving South Africa, but the thought of having to make do overseas  
without household staff made her decide to stay.

BBC's Radio 4 broadcast a 40-minute tribute on Thursday to mark  
Suzman's 90th birthday.

Asked about her present lifestyle, Suzman said she was living  
comfortably.

"I'm not a millionaire - in any case not to my knowledge."

She remembers that she wanted to pack up and leave the country when the  
National Party came to power in 1948.

Staff situation swung the scales

She said she tried to persuade her late husband, Moses, a medical  
doctor with good contacts in the United States, to leave, but he didn't  
want to know about it.

"So, I thought to myself: you're a clever girl. You can do something.  
You can become more involved (politically)."

She said the realisation that she would have to make do overseas  
without household staff, finally convinced her not to emigrate.

"Very selfishly, I wondered who would do all the housework. That  
clinched it for me, and I stayed and became more (politicially)  
involved."




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Sean Jacobs
Blogging as Leo Africanus at http://theleoafricanus.blogspot.com