Die politieke loopbaan van Margaret Ballinger

Abstract

Afrikaans: Margaret Ballinger is op 11 Januarie 1894 as die jongste kind van Lilias en John Hodgson in Glasgow, Skotland, gebore. In 1904 het die gesin na Suid-Afrika geemigreer. Na 'n briljante skool­ loopbaan het sy 'n M.A. in Geskiedenis aan Oxford behaal, waarna sy 'n senior lektrise in Geskiedenis by die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand was. Haar akademiese loopbaan is in 1935 weens haar huwelik met die bekende vakbondleier, William Ballinger, beeindig omdat getroude vroue nie toegelaat is om permanente betrekkinge te beklee nie. Hierna het Ballinger haar tot die politiek gewend. Alhoewel sy geen parlementere ambisies gehad het nie en die Naturelleverteenwoordigingswet van 1936 ten sterk­ ste geopponeer het, het sy haar wel in 1937 in die Oos-Kaapse naturellekieskring as 'n kandidaat van die "African National Congress" verkiesbaar gestel. Dit was in terme van haar pol i­ tieke filosofie om van alle geleenthede gebruik te maak om segre­ gasie in Suid-Afrika te beveg. Ballinger het die setel teen sterk opposisie op 'n merkwaardige wyse verower en 23 jaar lank verteenwoordig.

In die Volksraad het Ballinger haar as 'n briljante parlementa­ rier onderskei en sy het 'n reputasie opgebou as een van Suid­ Afrika se bekwaamstes ooit. Aansluitend daarby het sy haar as 'n onvermoeide verteenwoordiger van haar kiesers se bel ange onder­ skei. Dit, tesame met haar stryd as 'n onwri kbare opponent van enige rasse- of pol itieke onverdraagsaamheid, het Ballinger 'n internasionaal bekende persoonlikheid gemaak. Hierdie prestasie het egter heel wat moed, durf en opofferi ngs van ha arr as 'n onafhanklike vereis. Oat sy wel bereid was om hierdie opofferings vir haar ideaal van 'n veelrassige en demokratiese Suid-Afrika te maak, blyk uit haar leierskap van die Liberale Party - 'n Party wi e se st i gt i ng sy geopponeer het, terwyl sy ook nie die leierskap daarvan begeer het nie. Die tragedie van Ballinger se pol itieke loopbaan was dat sy in 1960 met haar gedwonge uittrede kragtens die Wet op die Bevordering van Bantoe-Selfbestuur (1959) prakties geisoleer en verwerp was. Vir die toenemende militante swartes was sy te gematig, terwyl sy weer vir die blankes van Suid-Afrika te radikaal was. Hierdie isolasie is vererger deur die feit dat sy nooit deel van die liberale hoofstroom was nie. In die twintiger- en dertigerjare is sy as te radikaal geag, terwyl sy teen die vyftigerjare as te konserwatief geoordeel is. Oat haar uittrede saam met die geweldpleging en noodtoestand van 1960 moes val, was 'n bitter pil vir Ballinger. Sy het gevoel dat sy in al haar politieke doelwitte gefaal het. Die teenoorgestelde is egter waar, deurdat Ballinger die vlam van Suid-Afrikaanse liberalisme en die ideaal van 'n veelrassige demokrasie in Suid-Afrika tydens haar merkwaardige parlementere loopbaan aan die lewe gehou het.English: Margaret Ballinger was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 11 January 1894 and was the youngest child of Lilias and John Hodgson. The family emigrated to South Africa in 1904. After a brilliant school career, she completed an M.A. in History at Oxford and thereafter became a senior lecturer in History at the University of the Witwatersrand. Her academic career ended in 1935 due to her marriage to the well-known trade union leader, William Ballinger, as married women were not allowed to hold permanent posts. After this Ballinger devoted herself to politics. Although she had no parliamentary ambitions, and strongly opposed the Representation of Natives Act of 1936, she made herself available as an African National Congress candidate in the Eastern Cape native electoral circle in 1937. This was a result of her political philosophy to use every opportunity to fight segregation in South Africa. Ballinger won the seat in spite of strong opposition and represented it for a period of 23 years. In the House of Assembly Ballinger distinguished herself as a brilliant parliamentarian and was reputed to be one of South Africa's most able politicians. In addition, she proved to be an untiring representative of her voters. This, together with the fact that she opposed any racial or political intolerance, made Ballinger an internationally known personality. This achievement took a lot of courage and sacrifices from her as an independent. That she was prepared to make these sacrifices in order to 7 achieve her ideal of a multiracial and democratic South Africa, is shown by her leadership of the Liberal Party - a party whose founding she opposed and whose leadership she did not seek. The tragedy of Ballinger's political career was that she was politically isolated and rejected by her constituents at the time of her forced retirement in terms of the Promotion of Bantu Self Government Act of 1959. She was too moderate for the increasingly militant blacks, and too radical for the whites of South Africa. This isolation was aggravated by the fact that she never was part of the liberal main stream. During the twenties and thirties she was considered to be too radical, and during the fifties she was regarded as being too conservative. The fact that her retirement coincided with the violence and the state of emergency of 1960 was a bitter one for Ballinger. She felt that she had failed in all her political goals. However, the opposite is true, as Ba 11 i nger in fact kept the flame of South African liberal ism and the ideal of a multiracial and democratic South Africa burning throughout her amazing parliamentary career.