It appears that Sir Joseph Ball began to invest in South African
Apartheid prior to his departure from Downing Street in 1940. As early
as 1936 he was chairing the AGM of Sir Abe Bailey's Henderson Transvaal
Estates before taking over. The Financial Times (11th June 1936) show
him boasting of South African profits and being listed as a being on the
Board along with John MilnerBailey (Sir Abe Bailey's son) who would be a
member of the Pro-Nazi Right Club in 1939 having been divorced from
Winston Churchill's daughter Diana in 1935. Also on the board Mr W E
Lawson-Johnson (presumably Lord Luke's younger son)
In his speech to investors Ball boasted: "The present era of prosperity is undoubtedly largely due to the high price of South Africa's prinicpal product -namely gold...It would be to deny that the adverse influence of unsettled conditions in europe may yet cause a setback to the economic progress and prosperity of the Union. But, excluding any unforeseeable international complications, there would seem to be no reason why, under the sound and sane government which now controls it's affairs South Africa should not continue the progress which it has achieved during the past 3 years and why this company should not continue to enjoy it's share of increased prosperity."
Don't forget that the National Government of South Africa included Prime Minster Hertzog whose reforms in the 1920's & 1930's increased discrimination against Black Africans "In a sense, therefore, the discriminatory social and economic policies pursued by the Pact Government helped pave the way for the eventual establishment of the Apartheid state" including the deregistration of Black Africans in 1936. Hertzog refused to enter the Second World War on the British side with Pro-Nazi Oswald Pirow he formed his own breakaway party NNP. Interestingly Hertzog thought highly of Neville Chamberlain and the reported the fact the Queen Mother in conversation.
In his speech to investors Ball boasted: "The present era of prosperity is undoubtedly largely due to the high price of South Africa's prinicpal product -namely gold...It would be to deny that the adverse influence of unsettled conditions in europe may yet cause a setback to the economic progress and prosperity of the Union. But, excluding any unforeseeable international complications, there would seem to be no reason why, under the sound and sane government which now controls it's affairs South Africa should not continue the progress which it has achieved during the past 3 years and why this company should not continue to enjoy it's share of increased prosperity."
Don't forget that the National Government of South Africa included Prime Minster Hertzog whose reforms in the 1920's & 1930's increased discrimination against Black Africans "In a sense, therefore, the discriminatory social and economic policies pursued by the Pact Government helped pave the way for the eventual establishment of the Apartheid state" including the deregistration of Black Africans in 1936. Hertzog refused to enter the Second World War on the British side with Pro-Nazi Oswald Pirow he formed his own breakaway party NNP. Interestingly Hertzog thought highly of Neville Chamberlain and the reported the fact the Queen Mother in conversation.
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