Suzman, Helen

orig. Helen Gavronsky

(born Nov. 7, 1917, Germiston, S.Af.—died Jan. 1, 2009, Johannesburg) South African legislator. Born in the Transvaal to Lithuanian immigrants, she graduated from the University of Witwatersrand, where she later taught economic history (1945–52). Elected to Parliament in 1953, she and 11 others formed the Progressive Party to oppose apartheid. Suzman alone of the group was reelected in 196l; until 1974 she often cast the lone vote against an increasing number of apartheid measures. In 1978 she received the UN Human Rights award. Until her retirement in 1989, she remained a significant voice in the South African Parliament.

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