Former intelligence minister and struggle stalwart, Ronnie Kasrils, on Wednesday spoke of his memories of the Sharpeville massacre, his personal struggle, and the challenges of today’s political climate.
Kasrils, was speaking at the Time of the Writer Festival at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.
“I was a rebel at school, and I was already crossing the colour line, and that included with girlfriends. But I wasn’t an activist – that was social.”
“Sharpeville hit me with a great shock. After that I spoke to black people, while the white people stuck together. That’s when I decided, because of what happened, that I needed to do something. I looked for the ANC and I became an activist.”
Kasrils spoke of his 2010 book, The Unlikely Secret Agent, which, taking place in 1963, tells the story of his wife, Eleanor.
“Soon after I met Eleanor, I had to go underground. She was working at a bookshop in Durban, and the police arrested her, and dragged her off to a house of truth, where they threatened to kill her,” he said.
The Unlikely Secret Agent is about Eleanor’s detention and eventual escape.
“If there is a just cause in doing what is necessary, you find enormous strength and courage,” said Kasrils, speaking of his wife. “Women have incredible depths of strength and courage.”
He said those fighting against apartheid “put their heads on the block... for the greater good”.
“We have achieved many things since 1994, but at the same time, we hear the murmurs of unhappiness through strikes and protests,” he said.
“Some people in power place self interest first. There is this poison of corruption, and that is today’s struggle.”