About the Book
Ronnie Krasrils�s insights in A Simple Man into Jacob Zuma, both shocking and revelatory, are vividly illuminated through this story, from their shared history in the underground to Kasrils�s time as Minister of Intelligence and his views on South Africa now. Our understanding of Zuma as the struggle hero, now perceived as having sold his soul to the devil, becomes clearer through this narrative. This fast-paced,thriller-style memoir outlines the tumultuous years that saw Mbeki�s overthrow and replacement by Zuma, Nkandlagate, the growing militarisation of the police and the Marikana Massacre, the outrageous appointment of flunkies to high office, the �state capture� report and his relationship with the Guptas.
We relive the Schabir Shaik corruption trial, Kasrils�s relationship with Fezeka Kuzwayo (Khwezi), Zuma�s rape trial accuser, the email and spy tapes saga, conspiracy and betrayal. While Kasrils explains the enigmatic contradictions of Jacob Zuma, he also explains that corruption and the abuse of power does not begin with Zuma. His story points to the compromised negotiations of the 1990s, which he refers to as a �Faustian Pact�. This is a story told from the inside, and after reading it, you will understand not only the many machinations of power, but also how one man�s struggle for the truth can have such an impact on the political outcomes of the nation.
About the Author
Ronnie Kasrils is author of the best-selling memoir Armed and Dangerous, which has been translated to German, Russian and Spanish and the Alan Paton Award-winning The Unlikely Secret Agent, which has been translated into French. A commander in Umkhonto weSizwe from its inception in 1961 till 1990, he served in government from 1994 until his resignation as Minister for Intelligence in 2008. He describes himself as a social activist and lives in Johannesburg.
