Professor Renfrew Christie, a prominent anti-apartheid activist and member of Umkhonto weSizwe, died at the age of 76 following a short illness over the weekend. He was an intellectual force known for his bravery in efforts to thwart South Africa's nuclear weapons program during apartheid. Christie spent many years in prison for his resistance against the regime.
Professor Renfrew Christie was born in 1949 in Johannesburg, where he grew up in challenging circumstances after his father's early death. Influenced by family stories of fighting Nazis in World War II, he viewed apartheid as a similar evil and committed to ending it. During compulsory military service in the mid-1960s, Christie was on guard duty at the Lenz base and "saw something that told me they were developing nuclear weapons," prompting him to aim at delaying the program.
Detained four times as a student activist at the University of the Witwatersrand by age 21, he earned a master's degree cum laude at the University of Cape Town and a Smuts doctoral scholarship at Oxford's St Antony’s College. There, he researched South Africa's electrification, accessing Eskom archives to uncover details on the nuclear enrichment program. South Africa, a uranium producer since the late 1940s and partner in the US nuclear efforts, developed six deployable bombs by apartheid's end, defying international sanctions.
Returning to South Africa in 1979 to lecture, Christie was arrested three months later by Security Police, tortured, and charged under the Terrorism Act. Betrayed by police spy Craig Williamson, who posed as an anti-apartheid figure, Christie endured seven months in solitary confinement at John Vorster Square. He pleaded guilty in court to pass intelligence to Umkhonto weSizwe commanders, contributing to a December 1982 sabotage at Koeberg nuclear reactor by operatives Rodney Wilkinson and Heather Grey. The limpet mine explosions delayed the weapons program by at least 18 months, causing half a billion rands in damage.
Sentenced to 10 years, Christie spent two years on death row, witnessing over 300 hangings, before transfer to white political prisoners' section, where he met Denis Goldberg and Dieter Gerhardt. Released after seven years under a government amnesty to improve international image, he joined the University of the Western Cape as dean of research, fostering an intellectual hub for the left under vice-chancellor Jakes Gerwel.
Post-release, Christie's defense expertise led to high regard among military and academic circles; he received the Navy's highest civilian award and joined the Defence Force Service Commission in June 2023. Shortlisted for defence secretary, his independence barred appointment. Known for quirkiness, like wearing a kilt for Scottish heritage, Christie cherished his wife Menan, daughters Aurora and Camilla, old cars, fine food, wine, and global conversations.
