1936
Hermanus Loots is born in the Kat River area of the Eastern Cape (19 July).[i]
1954
Matriculated from John Bisseker High School, in East London, Eastern Cape.
1961
Is recruited into the African National Congress (ANC) military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe’s (MK) Luthuli detachment of MK, under the code name ‘James Stuart’.[ii]
1964 - 1973
Undergoes military training in Odessa, Kishinev and Moscow.[iii]
1979 - 1983
Appointed chief representative of the ANC in Madagascar.[iv]
1984
Marries Madagascan-born Nasolo, code-named Josephine, in Zambia.[v]
1984
Exposes brutality in ANC camps.[vi]
1986
Is a member of an ANC delegation that included Oliver Tambo, Mac Maharaj, Chris Hani and Thabo Mbeki who meet with ‘White’ South African businessmen in Lusaka, Zambia.[vii] These meetings lay the groundwork for changes that are to come in South Africa.[viii]
1991
With the unbanning of the ANC Loots returns to South Africa, where he is elected to the National Elections Commission.[ix]
1994 - 1999
Member of Parliament in South Africa.[x]
1999
Retires from Parliament and provides advisory services to a number of government entities, also sitting on the boards of private sector organisations’.[xi]
2016
Hermanus Loots (James Stuart) passes away on 25 January 2016.[xii]
An official state funeral is held for Loots at the Johannesburg City Hall on 3 February 2016.[xiii]
A funeral service is held at the St Mungos United Church in Johannesburg on 6 February
President Jacob Zuma delivers the eulogy. He hails Loots for sacrificing his tertiary education in order to join MK, thereby putting ‘the nation before himself’.[xiv]
Endnotes
[i] Martin Plaut, ‘James Stewart – The ANC fighter who spoke the truth to power’, 01.02.2016, Url number www.sahistory.org.za/archive/james-stewart-anc-fighter-who-spoke-truth-power-martin-plaut-1-february-2016 (Date accessed 04.02.2016).↵
[ii] Martin Plaut, ‘James Stewart – The ANC fighter who spoke the truth to power’, 01.02.2016, Url number www.sahistory.org.za/archive/james-stewart-anc-fighter-who-spoke-truth-power-martin-plaut-1-february-2016 (Date accessed 04.02.2016).↵
[iii] Martin Plaut, ‘James Stewart – The ANC fighter who spoke the truth to power’ , 01.02.2016, Url number www.sahistory.org.za/archive/james-stewart-anc-fighter-who-spoke-truth-power-martin-plaut-1-february-2016 (Date accessed 04.02.2016).↵
[iv] Martin Plaut, ‘James Stewart – The ANC fighter who spoke the truth to power’, 01.02.2016, Url number www.sahistory.org.za/archive/james-stewart-anc-fighter-who-spoke-truth-power-martin-plaut-1-february-2016 (Date accessed 04.02.2016).↵
[v] Information sourced from the Loots family through personal correspondence with the author, Joline Young, on 11 March 2016.↵
[vi] Martin Plaut, ‘James Stewart – The ANC fighter who spoke the truth to power’ , 01.02.2016, Url number www.sahistory.org.za/archive/james-stewart-anc-fighter-who-spoke-truth-power-martin-plaut-1-february-2016 (Date accessed 04.02.2016).↵
[vii] Anon. ‘Zuma mourns passing of Hermanus Loots, MK veteran’ in Times Live, 25 January 2016, url number ww.timeslive.co.za/politics/2016/01/25/Zuma-mourns-passing-of-Hermanus-Loots‚-MK-veteran (Date accessed 02.04.2016).↵
[viii] Anon. South African History Online, ‘Delegation and dialogue between ANC and internal non government groups’ 1 March 2012. Url number
http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/delegations-and-dialogue-between-anc-and-internal-non-government-groups.↵
[ix] South African Government, ‘In memoriam: Mr Hermanus Gabriel Loots, 3 February 2016, url number http://www.gov.za/speeches/memoriam-mr-hermanus-gabriel-loots-3-feb-2016-1125 (Date accessed 16.02.2016).↵
[x] South African Government, ‘In memoriam: Mr Hermanus Gabriel Loots, 3 February 2016, url number http://www.gov.za/speeches/memoriam-mr-hermanus-gabriel-loots-3-feb-2016-1125 (Date accessed 16.02.2016).↵
[xi] South African Government, ‘In memoriam: Mr Hermanus Gabriel Loots, 3 February 2016, url number http://www.gov.za/speeches/memoriam-mr-hermanus-gabriel-loots-3-feb-2016-1125 (Date accessed 16.02.2016).↵
[xii] You tube ‘The funeral of Hermanus Loots’ 6 February 2016. Url number https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=SNx6qSpEKN4.↵
[xiii] South African Government, ‘In memoriam: Mr Hermanus Gabriel Loots, 3 February 2016, url number http://www.gov.za/speeches/memoriam-mr-hermanus-gabriel-loots-3-feb-2016-1125 (Date accessed 16.02.2016).↵
[xiv] South African Government, ‘In memoriam: Mr Hermanus Gabriel Loots, 3 February 2016, url number http://www.gov.za/speeches/memoriam-mr-hermanus-gabriel-loots-3-feb-2016-1125 (Date accessed 16.02.2016).↵