Jacqueline Daane-van Rensburg

Jacqueline Daane-van Rensburg (born December 17, 1937 in Cape Town ) is a South African anti- apartheid activist .

Life

Daane was born into a white South African family and had her first encounter with apartheid in 1956 when she adopted a mute black boy. Police forced her to move while attempting to enroll her son in a school for the deaf in Worcester . In 1958 she filed a complaint against a police officer in Swellendam after he had beaten a black man for no reason. As a result of this complaint, the family had to move again. In 1959 and 1960 Daane received a police warning after advocating for an Indian and allowing black people to use her water. Shortly afterwards, the family voluntarily went into exile in the Netherlands , where Daane continued to campaign against apartheid and had contact with Marga Klompé . In 1967 she moved to New Zealand ; there she expanded her fight against apartheid on an international level, including through CARE International and with its own aid organization called HART , which was dedicated to the adoption of children from homelands . With petitions and speeches she prevented the Springboks tour to New Zealand, which led to bomb threats and telephone terror .

In 1982 Daane returned to the Netherlands. She continued to expand HART, even though she had given up control. After Dulcie was murdered in September 1988, she published an obituary in a local newspaper, whereupon she received a death threat over the phone. Until her return to South Africa, Daane was active with publications and speeches for her organization and against apartheid. In 2004 she was officially allowed to return to South Africa. She lives in Gordon's Bay near Cape Town.

Awards

Daane received in 2007 by President Jacob Zuma to the Order of Luthuli in bronze.

Web links

• CV of Daane in South African History Online (English)
• Daane's résumé on the South African President's website