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

Although, in the 1930s, there were public allegations of her treating
the coloured poor roughly, and ”prying into people’s private affairs” (The
Sjambok 18.4.1930), her reputation was unsullied enough for her to become
the official chairman of the Citizens’ Housing League in 1945 – a
post she had de facto occupied from the start.
The Afrikaner establishment celebrated and decorated her: she received
an honorary DPhil degree from the University of Stellenbosch in
1961. Steyn devoted the best part of her life to the CHL, and her reign
only ended in 1963 when she died of a heart attack at the board meeting
she was chairing. (CHL Review 1970.)
Edward Batson (1906-1999) was University of Cape Town’s legendary
professor of sociology, appointed in 1935 when he was only 29 years old.
A talented statistician, he was an innovator of his time. (Bickford-Smith
et al. 1999: 103.)
Batson was known for his liberal views. In his works he shows contempt
for prejudiced assumptions in social work and racial discrimination,
which he saw as irrational and cruel, and preventing South Africa’s
growth as a nation. He was sympathetic towards and concerned about the
poor, striving to create a South African welfare state. He was critical of
the work of the Carnegie Commission, and he wanted to prevent what he
called ’Social Disservices’, by which he meant South African racialised
social services (Batson 1943: 39).
“To provide for one section of her people and neglect the other will not
give South Africa social security.” (Batson 1943: 89.)
Batson became involved in the work of the Citizens’ Housing League in
1935. In 1942 and 1946 he helped the Company conduct several surveys
in order to assist with the scientific management of the housing company.
He guided the social workers and offered recommendations until 1948,
after which he was no longer seen at the meetings of the Board, not even
as a consultant on special assignments. (The income survey of 1950 was
done entirely without his involvement.) His career as professor continued
for decades after his work with the CHL ended.
Many a director of the Housing League was a professor of sociology
or social work at the universities of Stellenbosch and Cape Town. Some
of them were members of Broederbond and race welfare societies. 95
The most famous of the persons in the initial phase of the Housing
League was young professor Henrik Frensch Verwoerd (1901-1966),
who would later become Prime Minister and well known for his fervent
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