Ronnie Kasrils

Ronnie Kasrils is a prominent South African politician, author, and former anti-apartheid guerrilla commander. Born to Jewish immigrants from Latvia and Lithuania, he rose to prominence as a founding member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and later served as South Africa's Minister for Intelligence Services (2004–2008). Kasrils is globally recognized for his "Declaration of Conscience by South Africans of Jewish Descent," which challenged the Zionist narrative and drew direct parallels between Israeli policies and South African apartheid. He is a steadfast advocate for the BDS movement and frequently speaks on the intersection of Jewish identity and Palestinian liberation, framing the struggle as a decolonial necessity. Kasrils authored the 2001 "Declaration of Conscience" against Israeli policies. In a 2009 speech, he described Zionist Israel as a "colonial racist mentality" rationalizing "genocide." He has publicly declared "Not in my name" as a Jew, asserting that Zionism is a "structural system" of oppression and apartheid.