(Harold Strachan. Photo by Chris
Ballantine)
Chris Ballantine LG Joel Professor of Music Emeritus, and Fellow, of the
University of KwaZulu-Natal, reported the sad news of the death of Harold
Strachan – early South African political prisoner, long-term apartheid-era
house-arestee
“…One of our finest artists, more recently a distinguished novelist and
satirist, famed and peerless raconteur, much-loved friend since the 1970s – has
died in Durban at the age of 94. These are some photos that I took of Harold,
over lunch, when he was an utterly extraordinary 93-year-old, his mind and
memory as sharp as ever, his political acumen undimmed, his improvised
satirical commentary still rapier like and still aimed at the political elite
who have let us all so badly down. He was truly one of a kind,” says
Ballantine.
Wikipedia records state: Robert Harold Lundie "Jock" Strachan
(December 1, 1925 – February 7, 2020) was a white South African writer and
anti-apartheid activist. He flew for the South African Air Force during the
Second World War, trained as an artist, then became Umkhonto we Sizwe's first
explosives expert. He was imprisoned for sabotage, and after his release served
another sentence for telling a journalist about poor prison conditions. He
wrote two semi-autobiographical books, and completed the Comrades Marathon
twice, winning a medal once.
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