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eventREF E-0011587Revised

Event record

South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg

South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg

Date
15 Nov 1938
Updated
30 Sep 2019
South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg

South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils was born in the Johannesburg suburb of Yeoville. The Sharpeville massacre and its aftermath drew him closer to the African National Congress (ANC). He was renowned for perfectly executing tasks entrusted to him by the leadership of the party. He was a member of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). He personally executed acts of sabotage. Kasrils was constantly on the run from government law enforcement agencies. In 1963, he skipped the country to Dar es Salaam. He has travelled to several foreign countries on ANC missions. After the country's first democratic elections in 1994, he was appointed as a minister of Defence in President Nelson Mandela's Cabinet. He later became minister of Water Affairs and Forestry under President Thabo Mbeki. He served his second term in Mbeki's cabinet as minister of Intelligence.  

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How we know this

  1. 01Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.
  2. 02SAHO Umkhonto we Sizwe [online] Available at: www.sahistory.org.za [Accessed on 14 November 2013]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011587

South African History Online (2011) 'South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011587 (Accessed: 28 August 2026).

South African History Online, South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011587, (accessed 28 August 2026).

"South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011587. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "South African anti-apartheid activist Ronnie Kasrils is born in the Johannesburg." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011587.

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