Anglican Church, Zeerust

The imposition of Bantu Authorities, the extension of passes to African women and the deposition of Kgosi Abram Ramotshere Moiloa by the white authorities in 1957, sparked a popular struggle of resistance that engulfed Lehurutshe in the late 1950s. This resistance is referred to as the Zeerust uprising or the Hurutshe Revolt. During the 1957-58 Hurutshe revolt, an Anglican priest in Zeerust, the Rev. Charles Hooper, and his wife Sheila housed and fed hundreds of refugees who fled the Reserve during the times of troubles. Hooper arranged for legal assistance for these people and provided information for the legal team. Hundreds of the baHurutshe villagers found refuge in the Anglican Church in Zeerust. Hooper wrote what is still the best account of the affair, in a book entitled Brief Authority, published in 1960. He and his wife were deported from South Africa and they went to Swaziland. The Hoopers later moved to London, where he joined the ANC.