Chris Hani (R) after being elected secretary general of the South African Communist Party in December 1991. To his left is the former secretary general Jo Slovo.
Walter Dhladhla/AFP via Getty Images
The book is a gripping read for anyone interested in late 20th century history, and in the end of apartheid.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov meets with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor, in Pretoria. Russia provided valuable support for the ANC during its struggle against apartheid.
EPA-EFE/Kim Ludbrook
The relationship between Pretoria and Moscow was forged in the apartheid era with the then Soviet Union giving support to banned ANC fighters.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (L) is congratulated by leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party Mangosuthu Buthelezi (R) after being elected president of South Africa during the swearing in of new members of the National Assembly.
Nic Bothma
The failure of the 2021 post-election deal is a missed opportunity for the African National Congress and Inkatha to work together.
Inkatha leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, former South African President FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela after signing a peace pledge ahead of the first democratic elections in 1994.
Keith Schamotta/AFP via Getty Images
This history covers twelve decades, from the surrender of Boer guerrillas in the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1902 to the July 2021 looting spree and violence.
Elizabeth Dlamini at her curio stall in the Ezulwini Valley near Mbabane, eSwatini. The kingdom’s economy is dependent on its larger neightbour, South Africa.
EFE-EPA/John Hrusha
International borders were negotiable for the right price. What residents of former ‘homelands’ and of Lesotho and eSwatini have in common now are limited government services and few job prospects.
Former South African President FW de Klerk photographed in Pretoria in 1989.
EPA-EFE/Walter Dlhadlha (AFP/via Getty Images), via
The book shows that the claim made by some analysts that it was the fall of communism that prompted moves towards negotiations to end apartheid is off the mark.
South African freedom struggle stalwart Andrew Mlangeni at the UN.
Mandela left at the right time in 1999, when the country still seemed in a healthy state, after which he consolidated his international reputation.
Former South African President FW De Klerk at the opening of parliament recently. The Economic Freedom Fighters objected to his presence.
EFE-EPA/Reuters Pool
In his new capacity as President of South Africa, FW de Klerk directly experienced for the first time how the international community had abandoned its support for minority white rule.
The making of South Africa’s Constitution took six long years. Now, 20 years later, the process of drawing up this revered document is being tainted with myth making.