Product Description
Death in Pretoria
Author: Peter Auf der Heyde
Format: Paperback
Untold Stories of Political Activists Executed During Apartheid
Between 1960 and 1989 in South Africa, more than 130 people were executed for crimes that had a political motive. Who were they, what did they do, and why did they do it? While many people have heard of Solomon Mahlangu, John Harris or Vuyisile Mini, the vast majority of executed activists remain very much unknown, even though they paid the ultimate price for their actions.
This book tells their stories, drawing on the author’s interviews with fellow activists, the families left behind, lawyers on both sides, judges who passed sentence, warders on death row, and even functionaries tasked with informing the condemned of their impending fate.
In the process, the book sheds light on forgotten aspects of South African history, such as the actions of the PAC/Poqo in the 1960s, which resulted in dozens of executions, and people who heeded the ANC’s call to make the country ungovernable in the 1980s and who were then disowned by the organisation.
The book also makes startling revelations about miscarriages of justice, defence attorneys working against their clients, and, sadly, the post-apartheid state’s neglect of those who suffered as a result of political executions. Death in Pretoria is a vital contribution to South African history, shifting the focus from the leaders of the struggle to the foot soldiers who carried out their orders.
About the Author
Peter Auf der Heyde is an award-winning South African writer/journalist. After working as a sports journalist for many years, he joined Southampton Solent University in 2015. He teaches journalism and creative non-fiction writing and is a senior research associate at the Centre for Sociological Research and Practice (CSRP) at the University of Johannesburg. His previous publications include one of the first books written about African football, Has Anybody Got a Whistle?: A Football Reporter in Africa. He has conducted research into judicial injustices during apartheid for more than twenty years.
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