BuaNews (Tshwane)
10 November 2009
Pretoria — President Jacob Zuma has conveyed his condolences to the family of former Intelligence Minister, Ronnie Kasrils, whose wife Eleanor died at the weekend after suffering a stroke.
Paying tribute to Kasrils, President Zuma said that they were proud of the role she played in the evolution of the country's democratic society.
"Eleanor joins the galaxy of South African heroes and heroines who have departed, yet another spear has fallen, let us pick it up and run with it in manner that would make Eleanor proud," Zuma said on Tuesday.
Eleanor was born in 1936 and joined the Congress of Democrats in 1960 after the Sharpeville massacre.
She was a tireless fighter for justice and freedom and participated in the struggle against apartheid, including active involvement in Umkhonto we Sizwe.
In 1963, she was arrested and went into exile with Ronnie Kasrils in the same year after escaping from custody.
The couple lived in exile for nearly 30 years and during this time she worked with African National Congress President Oliver Tambo.
She later became a geologist and technician and worked in London for the Inner London Education Authority.
The couple returned to South Africa in 1992 and again Kasrils continued her revolutionary work towards the 1994 democratic breakthrough and beyond.
She leaves behind her husband, two sons, Andrew and Christopher, a daughter Bridgette and her two grandchildren.
"We pray for the family to remain strong during this difficult time," President Zuma said.
Details of a memorial service would be made known towards the end of this week.
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