--Helen Suzman
From the BBC:
Anti-apartheid icon Suzman buried
Top politicians and close friends attended Helen Suzman's close friends
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Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of South Africa's celebrated anti-apartheid campaigner Helen Suzman, who died on New Year's Day aged 91.
Mrs Suzman, who for years was the only lawmaker to openly condemn the whites-only regime, was buried in a private Jewish ceremony in Johannesburg.
The mourners included President Kgalema Motlanther and the last leader of apartheid regime, F W de Klerk.
Mr de Klerk described Mrs Suzman as "one of South Africa's great icons".
"Suzman was my mentor, she was opposed to the abuse of power by the old apartheid regime," South Africa's opposition leader Helen Zille - who also attended the funeral - said.
"She was also opposed to the current abuses of power by the current ANC [African National Congress] government," Ms Zille added.
For 13 years, Mrs Suzman, the daughter of Jewish Lithuanian immigrants, was the only MP to openly condemn South Africa's whites-only apartheid regime.
She was made an honorary dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989. She was also twice-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
'Corageous woman'
Mrs Suzman, who had been in a frail condition recently, died at her home in Johannesburg early on Thursday.
Mrs Suzman stepped down from parliament in 1989
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She first entered the South African parliament in 1953, soon becoming a thorn in the side of the apartheid regime, says the BBC's Peter Biles, in Johannesburg.
She was a frequent visitor of jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela when he was held in Robben Island prison for 18 years.
Mr Mandela - who was elected South Africa's first black president in 1994 - wrote of her in his biography: "It was an odd and wonderful sight to see this courageous woman peering into our cells and strolling around our courtyard. She was the first and only woman ever to grace our cells."
After stepping down from parliament in 1989, Mrs Suzman continued to speak out against what she saw as the failings of the post-apartheid ANC administration.
Mrs Suzman was born in Germiston, Gauteng, on 7 November 1917.
In 1937 she married doctor Moses Meyer Suzman. The couple later had two daughters.
See also: BBC obituary, coverage of Suzman's life from the (South Africa) Mail and Guardian, and the Helen Suzman Foundation.
From an ex South African..
Helen Suzman "politicised" me at the age of 8, when my mother worked in her campaign for parliament.
She became the lone opposition to the Nationalists for over 13 years, an extraordinary fighter against injustice ( and there was more than plenty of that) and a champion of human rights.
My husband and I lost touch with her many years ago but we were fortunate to visit with her and her dogs last March when we were in Johannesburg.
We parted ways with Helen politically a very long time ago- particularly over her stand on Sanctions.
But we never lost our deep admiration for her- both for the solitary and tireless war she waged on behalf of the disenfranchised and oppressed, for her brilliance, her courage, her compassion and her fearlessness.For the thoroughly decent, no bullshit person she was.In fact Helen lived her values. She wasn't a politician in the American understanding of the term.In fact she was less a politician - more an activist. Helen was, in fact, everything a politician should be..
To us she will always be one of South Africa's greatest assets.
Helen's achievements have been seriously undervalued in South Africa (sanctions may have something to do with that), but we truly believe she deserves a state funeral-or something approaching this.
Doubtless, there are many South Africans- including her dear friend Nelson Mandela- at home and abroad -who are deeply saddened by her passing.
For us it marks the end of a very personal era..
Follow the link to this 1998 interview with Charlie Rose from 1998 It is worth it
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/5036
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Posted by: Tessa Gordon | January 08, 2009 at 01:03 PM