By Michelle Jones
Eleanor Kasrils, activist and wife of former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils, died on Sunday after suffering a stroke. She was 73.
Kasrils said Eleanor had suddenly collapsed and after just a few hours at Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic, died in the early afternoon.
The couple would have been married for 45 years next month - the "most wonderful, happy marriage", Kasrils said.
| The couple returned to South Africa in 1992 |
Sounding emotional but calm, he said she had done "some fantastic things" in her lifetime's work for the Communist Party, the ANC and Umkhonto we Sizwe. In her last years she had been Kasrils' support: "My very strong support."
He described how she had been born in Scotland and moved to South Africa when she was just a year old.
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She became involved in politics, becoming a member of the South African Congress of Democrats.
She became the second white woman in the country to be arrested, when in 1963 she was held under the 90 Day Act because of her involvement in MK, Kasrils said.
After a few months of detention she managed to escape from police custody. The couple then left South Africa and lived in exile for nearly 30 years. During this time Eleanor worked for ANC president Oliver Tambo.
She later became a geologist and a technician and worked in London for the Inner London Education Authority.
| 'Behind every successful man there is a very good woman' |
The couple returned to South Africa in 1992 and Eleanor again spent time working for Tambo.
ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said on Sunday night the party would be saddened by the news of her death.
"In her own right, we could not have been enjoying the freedoms we have now if people with her stature where not there. And we will remember her as the wife of a very good leader and Minister of the ANC. Behind every successful man there is a very good woman. We wouldn't have got the leadership from comrade Ronnie if he didn't have a stable background.
"We will miss her dearly and we know her family will miss her even more and we extend our condolences to them."
South African Communist Party spokesperson Malesela Maleka said: "We express our deepest sympathy to comrade Ronnie and to his family."
He said a full statement would be released after consultation with family and party members.
Eleanor had a daughter, Brigid, from a previous marriage, and two grandchildren. She and Kasrils had two sons, Andrew and Christopher.
Kasrils said details of a memorial service would be made known towards the end of this week.
This breaking news article was supplied exclusively to www.iol.co.za by the news desk at our sister publication, The Cape Times.
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