Sobukwe
The making of a Pan Africanist leader

“Prof” as Robert Sobukwe was fondly known, is an enigma to many people. Whilst his political views are widely known and recognised, the inner thoughts and what shaped the man are relatively unknown.

‘I became engrossed in the search for any written material on Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe and would engage in long conversations … about his thoughts, his principles and his life. His intellectual fortitude was something I came to admire unreservedly, and the more I delved into his life story and political journey, the more I became convinced that his story had not been fully told. I took it as my life’s mission to accomplish the telling of it and to share with the world the true story of a political colossus, an intellectual giant and a formidable fighter for the freedom of his people.’ So wrote Thami Ka Plaatjie about Robert Sobukwe.

This volume is the first part of his mission. It is not a biography even though it offers fascinating and significant insights – many hitherto unknown – of Sobukwe’s life. Rather, it is a testament to a man of towering intellect, deeply held principles, unwavering courage and unforgettable personal charm, and the authority he continues to have, even years after his passing.

The book provides fascinating insight into what influenced the political growth of Sobukwe.

Author information
Thami ka Plaatjie is currently an advisor to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu. He was a lecturer and Campus Registrar at Vista University. He was PAC Secretary General and later joined the ANC where he was appointed by the National Executive Committee to be its Head of Research. He has served on various boards, such as the SABC, Freedom Park, North West University, the Agriculture SETA and NEMISA to name a few.

Tambo Lenyoka
Enduring friendships Olof Palme and Thabo Mbeki
AUTHOR: Lindiwe Mabuza

While on Robben Island after being imprisoned by the apartheid government at the age of 19, the young Wiseman Nkuhlu had a dream that he would one day be the chief economist for the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the forerunner of the African Union. Now this would not have been an impossible dream had he been living in normal times, in a normal society. But the society he had been born into was one of repression and marginalisation of black South Africans. In addition, his expulsion from Lovedale College in 1963 and his subsequent arrest and imprisonment under the Suppression of Communism Act (1950) had interrupted his schooling, and he did not even possess a matric qualification. 

However, his incarceration on Robben Island which exposed him to men who were icons of the liberation struggle, along with his growing awareness of the decolonisation of parts of Africa, inspired him to be part of a free Africa. ‘...I had a strong belief that Africans, given opportunities, are equal to any other human beings in the world,’ recalls Nkuhlu. 

The book recounts over 60 years in the remarkable life of this man of many firsts – specifically the first African Chartered Accountant. It tells the story of a man who became one of the most influential South Africans of our time, playing key roles in academia, philanthropy, development, business and politics. Although a man of many achievements, Nkuhlu counts as his crowning moment his appointment as economic adviser to former President Thabo Mbeki. It was from that position that he was able to fulfil his Robben Island dream when he helped to craft the New Plan for Africa’s Development (Nepad) and then go on to play a critical leading role in Nepad’s Steering Committee. Wiseman Nkuhlu did not just chase a dream: he fulfilled his dreams of playing a social and economic role in Africa, and in so doing became one of the most inspirational South Africans. 

This book is not only a source of inspiration and confirmation of the resilience of the human spirit, it also chronicles pivotal events in the history of South Africa.

Author Information:
Luvuyo Wotshela holds a D Phil in Modern History from Oxford University (St Antony’s College), in the United Kingdom. He is currently the Head and Professor of the National Heritage and Cultural Studies Centre (NAHECS), at the University of Fort Hare where he has also taught History and Environmental Science in the last twelve years. His interest is in Twentieth Century Southern African History. He is also the co-author of A Social History of A plant in the Eastern Cape (2011) and Umbutho Wesizwe: The African National Congress of the Eastern Cape. (2012) He is also the author of A Socio-Political History of Resettlement and Change in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, 1960 -2005, (2015).

“I marvel at how the book has succeeded in documenting the life history of Professor Nkuhlu in a manner that will inspire the reader to life that strives to improve the lives of others”  Professor Mandla Gantsho

The Beauty of the line; life and times of Dumile Feni, celebrates an eminent South African artist who carved a place for himself in South African art circles and abroad. Feni was a larger than life figure who broke new ground with his captivating sculptures and drawings. This book brings together intimate stories from Feni's friends and acquaintances which the author Chabani Manganyi, weaves with skilful narration. Manganyi has produced a multi-perspective portrait of the famed artist.

Author information:
N Chabani Manganyi is a Senior Research Fellow at the Unit for Advanced Study at the University of Pretoria. A clinical psychologist and former vice principal of the university, he is author and editor of several collections of essays on psychology and public affairs as well as biographies of Gerald Sekoto and Esk'ia Mphahlele and his autobiography Apartheid and the making of a black psychologist (2016)

“Dumile took the raw material of his life in Soweto, and it was a life of a real ordeal, and translated it into work in a manner which revealed a capacity to face unflinchingly the most frightening extremities of human desperation and cruelty without spilling over into sentimentality or over-blown expressionism. His originality led to a new style of drawing in South Africa, but I have not found anybody equal to the ferocity and compassion of his works.”  Bill Ainslie