The Making of a Good White - E-thesis - Helsinki.fi

intellectuals and church officials, such as Bishop Lavis, 93 were central to
the establishment of the Citizens’ Housing League.
As described above, the three ideological primus motors behind the
establishment of the housing companies were the Christian-national
ideology, economical upliftment of the Afrikaners and the social sciences’
contemporary theories. These three directions are personified and
illustrated consecutively by examples of creative and successful people
who were prominent in the early days of the Citizens’ Housing League,
namely energetic domineesvrou Zerilda Steyn, SANLAM’s chief economist
‘Tienie’ Louw, and University of Cape Town’s eminent professor
Edward Batson.
The poor white problem had an appeal for the young teacher Zerilda
Steyn (1892-1963). After her marriage to the Reverend H.P.M. Steyn in
1916, the couple travelled to the United States where they studied theology.
(CHL Review 1970.) On her return to South Africa Mrs. Steyn, appropriately
for a woman of her social standing, dedicated herself to good
causes. In addition to her activities in the Afrikaanse Christelike Vroue
Vereniging (hereafter ACVV), Steyn was nominated Chairwoman of the
Cape Town Board of Aid. 94 Thereafter, she became a guiding force behind
the establishment of the Citizens’ Housing League.
She was to become a well-known and emblematic character who, according
to her contemporaries, was ”a wonderful, warm personality, a
remarkable lady” (a discussion with S-P Cilliers). Her fame began when
her attempts to improve the poor housing situation in Cape Town lead to
the press calling her “Cape Town’s lady with the lamp”, or “the heroine
of the slums” (Cape Times 14.3.1930; The Sjambok 18.4.1930). With
her reputation boosted by the media, she became the symbol of the fight
against the poor housing conditions of the lowest class of whites. Steyn
embodied the myth of the volksmoeder – in her the homely virtues of
motherly care and politically inclined concern for social morality were
unified.
93 An Anglican Bishop and known philanthropist, S.W. Lavis (1873-1965) was one of
the prime movers behind the establishment of the Citizens’ Housing League. He was a
long-term manager who remained with the Company until his death.
94 The Cape Town and Wynberg General Board of Aid was established in 1919 after the
flu epidemic that had alarmed Cape Town. It was a first step in the process of the professionalisation
of poor relief in Cape Town. “Drawing its support from charitable organisations,
the Provincial Administration and the municipalities of Cape Town and Wynberg,
the Board of Aid inaugurated a co-operative system of poor relief.” (Bickford-Smith et
al. 1999: 103.)
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