Hyman M Basner
Names: Basner, Hyman M
Born: 1905, Russia
Died: 1976., England
In summary: Political activist, lawyer, journalist member of the SACP
Hyman M Basner was born in Russia in 1905, and moved to South Africa at an early age. A Johannesburg lawyer, he was a co-founder with Paul Mosaka of the African Democratic Party in 1943 and a Natives' representative in the Senate for the Transvaal and Orange Free State from 1942 to 1948.
He became a member of the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA) but resigned in 1938. He often defended Africans in court and aided African leaders. In 1946 he joined A. B. Xuma of the African National Congress (ANC) in lobbying at the United Nations on behalf of Africans.
He left South Africa in later years and worked briefly in the early 1960s with the Africa Bureau in Accra, Ghana. He died in England in 1976.
References
- Hyman M Basner. CASBAH archive. Website: casbah.ac.uk
