Ruth Hayman (1913 - 1981) was a lawyer and anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

campaigner. She was one of the first women in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

to qualify as an attorney. Through the

Black Sash The Black Sash is a South African human rights organisation. It was founded in Johannesburg in 1955 as a non-violent resistance organisation for liberal white women. Origins The Black Sash was founded on 19 May 1955 by six middle-class white ...

organisation, Hayman offered free legal advice to many people, usually women, who had approached the Black Sash Advice Centre in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, and often appeared herself in court to represent them. She also defended the anti-apartheid activists Walter and Adelaine Hain, parents of the British Cabinet Minister

Peter Hain Peter Gerald Hain, Baron Hain (born 16 February 1950), is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2005 to 2007, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2007 to 2008 and twice as Secretary of State ...

. Her activities brought her into direct opposition with the National Party government, and on 22 April 1966 she was served with a "banning order" under the Suppression of Communism Act and placed under house arrest.

"This banning was, according to Sydney Kentridge, 'inexplicable save on the assumption that it was a punishment for her professional work' ('Legal Aid and Political Trials' in ''Legal Aid in South Africa'' (1974) 215). The
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
Law Society refused to come to her aid. This sent out a clear message to attorneys." (Dugard, J., 2004, p508)

Hayman moved to London, with her husband, Mervyn Lazar, in 1968, and was a pioneer in the field of teaching

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

. In 1977 she was one of the founders of the National Association for the Teaching of English as a Second Language to Adults. Now renamed as

NATECLA {{Unreferenced, date=January 2008 National Association for Teaching English and Community Languages to Adults (NATECLA) is a British professional organisation of teachers of ESOL and what are known as "community languages" to adults. Through its ...

. The Ruth Hayman Trust, set up in her memory, gives small personal grants to support the education and training of adults who live in the United Kingdom and whose first language is not English. She was born in Johannesburg,

in February 1913, and died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in October 1981.''The Times,'' London, 16 October 1981 p 16

References

* ''Raymond Tucker'', Dugard, J., ''SAJHR'' 20, 2004

External links

Ruth Hayman Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayman, Ruth 1913 births 1981 deaths White South African anti-apartheid activists South African barristers Language teachers South African women lawyers South African emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century South African lawyers Black Sash 20th-century women lawyers

See also

References

External links