Politics.za

While vanity trawling Google I came upon a cached copy of the old Politics.za page I used to host off my old university account.

Anyway here it is if not for anything else but to remind myself how not to write:

Politics.za Ancient Archives

Note: There’s minimal styling to this page and not all links are guaranteed to work. And the page is 300KB.

I’d like to compile a reading list of books that would help someone who is looking to get up to speed on South Africa and it’s politics.

I’ll put forward two books I read last year that I feel are required reading for any contemporary SA political enthusiast, so feel free to add your own in the comments.

Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC – William Mervin Gumede

This book gives great insight to the history and evolution of the ANC and how Thabo Mbeki overcame the odds to become it’s leader (and the President of South Africa). It predicts the infighting that is taking place in the ANC today and gives great insight into the mind of Thabo Mbeki, his leadership and the future of the ANC and South Africa. After you read this you might not respect Mbeki for his policies but you’ll respect him as a politician.

The Number – Jonny Steinberg

Not a book about South African politics per se’ but this tale of one man’s journey through the infamous Number prison gangs (the 26’s, 27’s and 28’s) of South Africa and their influence on life in and out of South Africa’s prison system is a must read. This book highlights the lasting damage Aparheid had on the non-white communities of South Africa, particularly the coloured communities on the Cape Flats as the violence inflicted by the government becomes interwoven into almost every aspect of their lives through joblessness, crime and the Number. The mythical origins of the gangs, their lore and procedures is completely mindblowing.

And folks, let’s just assume ‘Long Walk To Freedom’ by Nelson Mandela is already on the list, so fire away.

...WE’RE BACK! It’s been a bit longer than I promised in my last update but I’m finally back online. This weblog is going to be in a state of flux for a while with the appearance changing, links appearing and probably disappearing and all sorts of experimentation. Hell in a few months I might not even be using the same blogging engine. However I assure you the political commentary, both serious and snarky, continues for the forseeable future.

Note we have a new RSS feed. And proper archives! And topic sections! And comments!