Ethel de Keyser


Ethel de Keyser was a South African anti-apartheid activist based in London, England.

Early life

Ethel Tarshish was born in 1926, to Jewish parents who moved to South Africa soon after she was born. Her father owned a garment factory in South Africa. She went to college in England and became a British citizen. She returned to South Africa in 1960 after the Sharpeville massacre and the detention of her brother Jack Tarshish.

Career

She became involved with her anti-apartheid work. She was on her way back to England in 1963 when Jack was arrested again as a member of the African National Congress. She was in South Africa for the trial, but was deported afterwards, and Jack was jailed for twelve years. Back in England, she worked for the London Symphony Orchestra while volunteering for the Anti-Apartheid Movement, eventually becoming its executive secretary. She led campaigns to maintain the British arms embargo against South Africa, and to refuse recognition to the Ian Smith regime in Rhodesia. She helped organize SATIS, a conference and network for those working for the release of political prisoners.
She became director of the British Defense and Aid Fund for Southern Africa in 1981, and set up an educational trust as well. Antony Sher said she was his "political guru" during this time.
After 1994, her work shifted from an anti-apartheid focus to health and education causes in South Africa, including HIV/AIDS. She was awarded an OBE for her human rights work in 2001.

Personal life

Ethel Tarshish was married to actor David de Keyser for ten years, and had a longterm relationship with writer George Lamming.
Ethel de Keyser died in 2004, after a heart attack. The trustees of the Canon Collins Educational Trust established scholarships in her name as a memorial.