Francois Jacobus Erasmus – Chief Inspector or Secret Agent?
It was speculated within the former BSAP that Erasmus, referred to as “Raz” or “Ras” was actually the Director of the former South African Secret Service and that his death was a cover up in relation to an investigation by him into the activities of Winnie Mandela.
“IN answering the call to leadership that had come to Aerie and me, we accepted the responsibility of being our ‘Brother’s keeper…’” “We accepted the challenge of a year of service,” wrote Head Boy of Aliwal North High School, Francois Jacobus Erasmus, in his message to the school, “and we were prepared for the test of our integrity which it would involve. In making this pledge, we were aware of the problems our school faced in their efforts to educate better men and women, and we were conscious of the grace it would take to be a part of the solution of these problems. I honestly hope we succeeded.
“To my fellow scholars, especially to those leaving this year, I will just say: ‘Accept the challenges of life, and find expression for yourself in friendship, writing, building or something creative – that is the closest to Godliness you will ever get. Finally, to those who remain behind, Audentior Ito (proceed boldly)…”
Francois Jacobus Erasmus was born on December 7, 1946, in Vryheid. He was the son of Flight Lieutenant Francois Jacobus Erasmus of the Royal Air Force, and Rosemarie Molly Ferreira ex Pool ex Erasmus, born Morrison. Francois was educated at the Aliwal North Primary and High Schools, where he matriculated at the end of 1964.
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He was the Head Boy of the high school, together with head girl, Aerie de Groot. Born in South Africa, he also carried a British passport and, in Britain, he gained the University of London General Certificate of Education and the First Cantonese Colloquial Certificate. Francois was a keen sportsman. At school, he played first team rugby and actively participated in athletics, tennis and swimming.
After school, Francois visited several countries and, in 1966, he joined the Royal Hong Kong Police Force, where he served for more than ten years and was promoted to the rank of Chief Inspector. During that time Francois played rugby for the Hong Kong Police rugby team, and the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU). In April 1974, he toured together with the HKRFU to Japan and Korea.
Francois joined the Hong Kong Parachute Club and completed more than twenty jumps. Francois’ mother, Rosemarie, was born in Vryheid in 1926. She lived in various towns in the Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape. She passed away in 1981 and was buried in Springfontein as Rosemary Molly Pool. Rosemarie’s father was Peter Morrison who was a dentist in Vryheid and in Eshowe in those years.
After their deaths, Peter and his wife, Teresa, were both cremated and their ashes strewn at sea. Francois’ father, “Rassie” Erasmus, was born in 1923 in Jamestown in the Eastern Cape. He was a pilot in the SAAF and RAF and lived in London. He flew cargo planes for the British during WWII and Harvards and Austers in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s.
Erasmus senior was awarded the Kenya Mau Mau Emergency 1953-1955 operations Harvard and Auster Pilots Distinguished Flying Medal, WW2 group medals and the Distinguished Flying Medal by Queen Elizabeth II. He died in active service on January 16, 1969 and was buried in the United Kingdom. Francois junior had two siblings from his mother’s first marriage to Rassie Erasmus, named Heidi Frances van der Vyver, born Erasmus, and Peta-Ann Sirdar, born Erasmus, and five step-siblings from Rosemarie’s second marriage to Schalk Pool.
In March 1977, Erasmus (junior) joined the British South African Police (BSAP) in Rhodesia and he, together with two other police officers, was killed during ‘Operation Thrasher’ in an ambush when his Land Rover was hit by a mortar bomb in Manicaland, Rhodesia on July 29, 1977. His death certificate read: “Massive skull and brain destruction”.
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A mystery revealed: It was speculated within the former BSAP that Erasmus, referred to as “Raz” or “Ras” was actually the Director of the former South African Secret Service and that his death was a cover up in relation to an investigation by him into the activities of Winnie Mandela. In March 2017, Ian Venters wrote that Francois was from Vryheid and joined squad 4/77 after time in the Hong Kong Police, “Francois was a great character and well-liked and respected by all – a bit of a big brother since he was that much older. RIP.”
On June 15, 2017, Aerie de Jager, born De Groot, wrote that, at end of 1963, she and Francois were elected as Head Girl and Head Boy of their school for 1964. They travelled by train to Port Elizabeth to attend a youth leadership conference and it was wonderful to meet and mingle with their peers from all over the country. Francois was English and, according to her recollection, of the 21 pupils in their matric class, only four were English.
After matric, Francois left for England. His father was a Brit and lived in London. Aerie reveals that Francois wrote to her a couple of times from England and Hong Kong but, after that, she never heard from him again. She explains that Francois felt very lonely in London and Hong Kong. Years later, she heard that Francois had died. “I knew that Francois had a younger sister with a ‘double barrel’ name,”she writes, “Something like ‘Peter-Ann’, and that their parents had been divorced…”
She also includes that she remembers Francois’s mother pushing a baby in a pram in Aliwal-North. A full Military funeral for Patrol Officer Francois Jacobus Erasmus was held on August 4, 1977 in Harare, Zimbabwe and he was laid to rest in the Warren Hills Cemetery. “Ne cede malis, seal contra, Audentior Ito” (Do not give in to evil, but proceed boldly).
