The Diary Of A South African

A fascinating portrait of the new South Africa by the acclaimed author of Brazil: Life, Blood, Soul. From the stillness of the Karoo savanna to the warmth of the Indian Ocean, and from the exclusive white neighbourhoods of Pretoria to the destitution of the black townships in Cape Town, John Malathronas chronicles a journey in one of the most beautiful countries on Earth. Whether dancing the night away in a club, mountain-biking on the backpacker's bus or watching animals on a safari, John Malathronas is full of sharp observations, be they social, historical, political or botanical. The author draws fascinating portraits of the many Afrikaner, Xhosa, Zulu, Indian and Swazi characters he encounters, all of whom make up the tapestry of the new South Africa.

"This is Tshenuwani Simon Farisani's harrowing account of the suffering inflicted on a single human being by the brutalities of apartheid. Farisani shows us the terror of torture, the fear of death, and the eventual victory of faith. "Here is a man of God, deeply committed to justice and peace, who has given himself in total solidarity with the struggle of his people to the cause of liberation in South Africa. Here is a Christian who has suffered the agonies of hell for the sake of his Lord, his calling as pastor, and his love for his people. Reading this autobiography is not only a priority but an absolute necessity." THE REV. DR. BEYERS NAUD (1915-2004) Former General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches TSHENUWANI SIMON FARISANI is Branch President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Office and Speaker of the Provincial Legislature of the Parliamentary Office of Limpopo, South Africa. He was the Dean of the Devhula circuit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Africa, Northern Diocese, and imprisoned several times for his outspoken criticism of apartheid.

This volume is a fascinating collection of pieces by South African journalist Nomavenda Mathiane. Unlike much that is written about South Africa, these pieces are very personal observations and reflections based on day-to-day experiences. They range from descriptions of the horrors of 'necklacing' (the practice of placing a car tire about the body of an alleged informer or collaborator and setting it afire with gasoline), to the joy of a new birth, to the heartbreak of a mother whose son murders a neighborhood peer. Ms. Mathiane's analysis of politics and education is must reading for anyone who cares about the effects of apartheid. Her frequently pungent and controversial views have won for her an ever-widening audience in South Africa and other African countries. She deserves to be better known in other countries as well.

Reclaiming Home is the diary of Lesego Malepe’s travels in South Africa in 2004, the 10th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy. The book begins with Malepe taking the bus from Pretoria, where she grew up, to Cape Town, where she visits Robben Island—the prison where her brother served a life sentence during apartheid days. She interrupts her travels to return to Pretoria, where she attends the ceremony marking the official settlement of land claims for her parents’ property and her grandmother’s property in Kilnerton, Pretoria, which were confiscated by the apartheid government when Malepe was four, forcing her family—along with the rest of their community—to move to Mamelodi township for Africans. Over the course of her travels, Malepe traverses much of her home country, visiting locales including Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Thohoyandou, the University of Venda, and Giyani. Ultimately, hers is a sprawling, revealing journey that illuminates the ways South Africa has changed—and the ways it has remained the same—since the end of apartheid.

'An intriguing story of endurance and survival. A reminder of times, and the people who resisted them, that should never be forgotten.' – GILLIAN SLOVO In 1969, while a student at Wits University, John Schlapobersky was arrested for opposing apartheid. Thrown into a world that it is hard to believe ever existed, he was tortured, detained in solitary confinement and eventually deported. Half a century later, John sat down to write about what happened to him at 21. Calling on memory and two diaries he kept at the time – one written on toilet paper and the other in the Bible he was allowed – he describes being interrogated through sleep deprivation day and night and later writing secretly in solitary confinement. He remembers the singing of the condemned prisoners, and revisits the poetry, songs and texts that saw him through his ordeal. He reconstructs, in moving detail, the struggle for survival that finally transformed his life and supplements this with detailed research. He is now a leading psychotherapist and author and works closely with those who have similar histories. When They Came For Me is a vital historical document: a record of its time with lessons for ours.

In 1914, Haggard, the author of colonialist novels King Solomon's Mines and She returned to a South Africa which had greatly changed since the first visits of his youth. This account of his journey as a member of the British Empire's Dominions Royal Commission offers observations on the changed nature of the country after the Anglo-Boer wars and details a number of aspects of the political landscape, including a description of his interview with the founder of the African National Congress, John Dube. c. Book News Inc.