Margaret Legum
Encyclopedia
Margaret Jean Roberts Legum (8 October 1933, Pretoria
, South Africa
– 1 November 2007, Cape Town
, South Africa) was a South African/British
anti-apartheid activist and social reformer, who specialized in economics.
Known primarily for her globally influential 1963 book on the necessity of economic sanctions
against South Africa, South Africa: Crisis for the West, which she wrote in partnership with her husband Colin
, Legum had a long career as a key member of the Iona Community
, the radical ecumenical movement based on the Scottish island of Iona
.
Such was the impact of the couple's work that in 1962 she and Colin, who was regarded as Fleet Street
's first African correspondent, were expelled from their homeland and were able to return only after the end of apartheid. Holding dual nationality, she settled in Great Britain
and was soon in demand as a broadcaster, journalist and trainer for radical activists. Her husband had been recruited to The Observer
by David Astor
and became one of the most influential journalists in his field, drawing heavily on his wife's experiences and intellectual excellence.
She worked as a lecturer at the London School of Economics
, as she had back at Rhodes University
. She was the founder of the South African Centre for Anti-Racism and Sexism (CARAS) as well as the British agency PACE (Preparation for Adaptation to Changing Environments). Her first degree, in economics, was from Rhodes University, and to this she added another from Cambridge and a third from Rhodes. Margaret Legum's last book, It Doesn't Have To Be Like This, was published in 2002.
Widowed in 2003, Margaret Legum's latter days were spent in South Africa, where she campaigned tirelessly for a system of economic organisation that would reduce developing nations' dependence on world markets, writing, "I am outraged at our [South African] appalling poverty in the midst of unbelievable wealth and potential of plenty for everyone. It is based on our dependency on world economic factors over which we have no control".
Margaret Legum died in 2007, aged 74, from cancer, survived by her three daughters and grandchildren.
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
– 1 November 2007, Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa) was a South African/British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
anti-apartheid activist and social reformer, who specialized in economics.
Known primarily for her globally influential 1963 book on the necessity of economic sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
against South Africa, South Africa: Crisis for the West, which she wrote in partnership with her husband Colin
Colin Legum
Colin Legum was, along with his wife, Margaret , an anti-apartheid activist and political exile....
, Legum had a long career as a key member of the Iona Community
Iona Community
The Iona Community, founded in 1938 by the Rev George MacLeod, is an ecumenical Christian community of men and women from different walks of life and different traditions in the Christian church....
, the radical ecumenical movement based on the Scottish island of Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
.
Such was the impact of the couple's work that in 1962 she and Colin, who was regarded as Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
's first African correspondent, were expelled from their homeland and were able to return only after the end of apartheid. Holding dual nationality, she settled in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and was soon in demand as a broadcaster, journalist and trainer for radical activists. Her husband had been recruited to The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
by David Astor
David Astor
Francis David Langhorne Astor CH was an English newspaper publisher and member of the Astor family.-Early life and career:...
and became one of the most influential journalists in his field, drawing heavily on his wife's experiences and intellectual excellence.
She worked as a lecturer at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, as she had back at Rhodes University
Rhodes University
Rhodes University is a public research university located in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, established in 1904. It is the province’s oldest university, and is one of the four universities in the province...
. She was the founder of the South African Centre for Anti-Racism and Sexism (CARAS) as well as the British agency PACE (Preparation for Adaptation to Changing Environments). Her first degree, in economics, was from Rhodes University, and to this she added another from Cambridge and a third from Rhodes. Margaret Legum's last book, It Doesn't Have To Be Like This, was published in 2002.
Widowed in 2003, Margaret Legum's latter days were spent in South Africa, where she campaigned tirelessly for a system of economic organisation that would reduce developing nations' dependence on world markets, writing, "I am outraged at our [South African] appalling poverty in the midst of unbelievable wealth and potential of plenty for everyone. It is based on our dependency on world economic factors over which we have no control".
Margaret Legum died in 2007, aged 74, from cancer, survived by her three daughters and grandchildren.