Ronnie Kasrils

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Ronald Kasrils (commonly known as Ronnie Kasrils) (born November 15, 1938) is a South African politician. He has been the South African Minister for Intelligence Services since 27 April 2004. He has been a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) since 1987 as well as a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party (SACP) since December 1986.

[edit] Early life

Kasrils' grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Lithuania who fled from the Czarist pogroms at the end of the 19th century. He is the son of Rene (born Cohen) and Isidore Kasrils. His father was a factory salesman. His mother worked as a shop assistant prior to her marriage. Kasrils matriculated at King Edward VII School in Johannesburg. He subsequently became a script writer for films in Johannesburg from 1958 to 1960 before accepting a position as a television and film director for Lever Brothers' advertising division in Durban from 1960 to 1962.

[edit] Role in the ANC and Anti-Apartheid Activism

The Sharpeville massacre radicalised Kasrils against the Apartheid system and he joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1960, becoming secretary of the ANC-aligned Congress of Democrats in Natal in 1961, the same year he joined the South African Communist Party. In 1962, he received a five-year banning order prohibiting him from public speaking. He was a founding member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) as member of Natal Regional Command during the same year. He became the commander of Natal Regional Command in 1963. He underwent military training in 1964 in Odessa, USSR and at the end of 1965 was sent to London to work for the movement there. During this time Kasrils worked with Yusuf Dadoo, Joe Slovo and Jack Hodgson and they formed a special committee (1966-76) to develop underground activities in South Africa from the United Kingdom. During this time he trained various people including Raymond Suttner, Jeremy Cronin, Ahmed Timol, Alex Moumbaris, Tim Jenkins and Dave and Sue Rabkin, with the aim of establishing underground propaganda units in South Africa. He served the ANC and was based in London, Luanda, Maputo, Swaziland, Botswana and Lusaka. Kasrils eventually became a member of MK's High Command and was appointed as Chief of MK Intelligence.

Kasrils also served on the ANC's Politico-Military Council from 1985 to 1989 and worked underground for the ANC in South Africa during Operation Vula from 1990 to 1991. He went on to head the ANC's campaign section from 1991 to 1994.

[edit] Role in the Bisho Massacre

On 7 September 1992, about 80 000 protesters from the ANC gathered outside Bisho in the nominally independent homeland of Ciskei in South Africa to demand the resignation of Ciskei leader Oupa Gqozo and the reincorporation of Ciskei into South Africa. The protest was led by senior ANC leaders including South African Communist Party Secretary General Chris Hani, Cyril Ramaphosa, Steve Tshwete and Ronnie Kasrils.

Despite being warned by the Ciskei government not to enter Bisho, Kasrils led a group in an attempt to break through the Ciskei Defence Force lines to enter Bisho. Ciskei Defence Force soldiers opened fire on the marchers with automatic weapons, killing 28 marchers and one soldier, and injuring over 200. More than 425 rounds were fired, the first fusillade lasting one-and-a-half minutes, and the second lasting a minute.^[1]

The Goldstone Commission was tasked with investigating the massacre. In his report, Justice Richard Goldstone condemned Ronnie Kasrils for his irresponsible action in leading marchers breaking through the razor wire and provoking the forces into opening fire.^[2]

[edit] Democratic South Africa: Ministerial Posts

After the first fully democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, Kasrils became a member of the Transitional Executive Council's (TEC) Sub-Council on Defence. He was appointed as Deputy Minister of Defence on 24 June 1994, a post which he held until 16 June 1999. He was also the South African Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry from 1999 to 2004.

[edit] Positions on Israel/Palestine Conflict

Kasrils is known for his strong criticisms of the government of Israel and for his sympathies towards Palestinian political struggles.^[3] He rose to international prominence after penning a "Declaration of Conscience by South Africans of Jewish Descent" in 2001 against Israeli policies in the occupied territories.^[4] He has participated in events in the Palestinian Territories with all elected Palestinian parties and endorses a two-state solution premised on the 1967 borders.^[5].

In a two part essay "David and Goliath: Who is Who in the Middle East"^[6][7] published in the ANC's theoretical journal Umrabulo in late 2006 and early 2007, Kasrils outlined a history of Israel-Palestine since 1948 very critical of Israeli governments and military actions. Parts of the essay were published in the Mail&Guardian in a summarised form under the title "Rage of the Elephant: Israel in Lebanon."^[8] The article caused considerable controversy,^[9] when Kasrils, commenting on the results of civilian deaths following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in July 2006, and referring to the Israeli leadership, noted: "...we must call baby killers 'baby killers' and declare that those using methods reminiscent of the Nazis be told that they are behaving like Nazis."^[10]

In November 2006, the South African Jewish Report lodged a complaint of hate speech against Kasrils with the South African Human Rights Commission on the basis that the articles in Umrabulo and the Mail&Guardian violated Constitional protections (viz. Section 16(2)(c) of the Bill of Rights).^[11] On 29 March 2007, the Commission ruled that Kasrils had not engaged in hate speech,^[12] and noted: "Mr Kasrils’ call for peaceful negotiations is not compatible with the interpretation that he is calling for the destruction of the state of Israel. Neither can his comments reasonably be associated with Holocaust denials."^[13]

In May 2007, during a visit to the Palestinian Territories, Kasrils met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and invited him to make his first visit outside the Muslim world to South Africa. South Africa's Jewish Board of Deputies criticised the invitation, saying the "racist ideology" of Haniyeh's Hamas organisation, which led the Palestinian unity government at that time, stood in contrast to South Africa's own post-apartheid ideals. In response to criticism of the invitation Kasrils was quoted (Haaretz, 7 May 2007) as stating: "Those who myopically object to such invitations merely show that they have learnt nothing from South Africa's transition".^[14]

[edit] Publications

Kasrils has written several books on Bertrand Russell and poetry as well as articles on politics, defence and water & forestry issues. His autobiography, Armed and Dangerous, was first published in 1993 and updated and re-published in 1998 and 2004.

[edit] Quotes by and about Kasrilis

• "Whatever the drawbacks and failures I am convinced that in years to come humanity will look back to Soviet achievements as a source of profound inspiration"
  • R. Kasrilis, Armed and Dangerous.

[edit] External links

• Biography at Ministry of Intelligence Services, Government of the Republic of South Africa

[edit] Notes