About the Book
This is a pocket biography of Govan Archibald Mvuyelwa Mbeki (9 July 1910 – 30 August 2001), an intellectual giant who radiated an unfailing commitment and devotion to the struggle for freedom. During his lifetime he set a sterling example of dedication to the rural poor and the working class of South Africa. A disciplined and hardworking member and leader of the ANC and SACP, he devoted his life to the struggle for the liberation of his people.
Generally the outlines of Mbeki’s life are fairly well-known; author Colin Bundy goes beyond that outline by presenting a book drawing on lengthy interviews with Mbeki and paying particular attention to his ideas, expressed in journalism, pamphlets, essays and books written over half a century, establishing why Mbeki was seen by many as a true compatriot and pure-blooded democrat.
Bundy goes further and directs attention to the short-comings and contradictions of ‘struggle’ politics as well as its advances. He also explores controversial aspects of Mbeki’s personality and career: his reputation as a hard-liner, the personal and psychological price paid for militancy, and his role in the tensions within the ANC leadership on Robben Island, especially between himself and Nelson Mandela. The nation will forever mourn the fall of a giant of our struggle; this book verifies that his life and times were a celebration of a life lived to the fullest.
About the Author
Colin Bundy’s career as academic and administrator is divided between his native South Africa and the United Kingdom. He is a member of a generation of historians whose work substantially reinterpreted South African history, and is best known for his writings on the South African peasantry and rural resistance. He recently retired as principal of Green Templeton College, Oxford.
