Eleanor Kasrils (9 March 1936 – 8 November 2009) was a Scottish-South African anti-

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

activist.

Early life

Eleanor Logan was born in

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

in 1936, the daughter of bookseller Jimmy Logan and Helen Logan. She was raised in

Durban, South Africa Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Activism

Eleanor Logan worked in a bookstore in Durban in the early 1960s. She and

Ronnie Kasrils Ronald Kasrils (born 15 November 1938) is a South African politician, Marxist revolutionary, guerrilla and military commander. He was Minister for Intelligence Services from 27 April 2004 to 25 September 2008. He was a member of the National E ...

were persuaded to campaign against apartheid in the aftermath of the

Sharpeville massacre The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960 at the police station in the township of Sharpeville in the then Transvaal Province of the then Union of South Africa (today part of Gauteng). After demonstrating against pass laws, a crowd of ...

in 1960, as members of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

(ANC). In 1961, she helped Kasrils and others steal dynamite from a work site in Durban. She helped Ronnie Kasrils escape house arrest in 1963, and assisted banished and underground activists, as a driver, courier, and fundraiser. In 1963, Kasrils was detained at Durban Central Prison under the 90 Day Act, and was admitted to the mental hospital at Fort Napier after a hunger strike and a feigned breakdown; she escaped from Fort Napier, at times in disguise as a boy, or passing as a nurse with forged identification, and joined Ronnie Kasrils in Johannesburg. From there, the Kasrils escaped to Bechuanaland (Botswana), again in disguise, and were granted political asylum. They soon moved again, to Tanzania, and eventually to the United Kingdom. In 1979, she served on the

International Year of the Child UNESCO proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child.

committee of the African National Congress in London. She worked at the

London College of Fashion The London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, in London, England. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, study abroad courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therap ...

as an administrator, and remained active on behalf of the ANC in England and Scotland until 1993, when she returned to South Africa with her husband and son. The Kasrils were granted amnesty in 2001. Her husband became South Africa's Minister of Intelligence Services in 2004.

Personal life and legacy

Eleanor married her second husband Ronnie Kasrils in 1964, in

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

, after several years together. Her children included Brigid, her daughter from her first marriage, and sons Andrew Kasrils and Christopher Kasrils, both born in London. Upon her death from a stroke in late 2009, at age 73,

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

paid tribute to Kasrils' work, and referred to her as a “genteel and elegant Scottish woman”. Her widower published a biography of Kasrils, ''The Unlikely Secret Agent'', in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasrils, Eleanor People from Kilmarnock White South African anti-apartheid activists Scottish activists 1936 births 2009 deaths Members of the African National Congress Scottish emigrants to South Africa