Legends

We have a lot to be positive about in South Africa. With all of our problems it’s easy to get bleak. But hold those thoughts, because Legends might be just the tonic you need for driving off the gloom. The book tells the stories of a dozen remarkable people who changed Mzansi for the better. Mandela, Biko and Gandhi might need no introduction. But it’s still worth remembering the extraordinary lives they lived. And others stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Olive Schreiner was a bestselling international author who fought racism, corruption and chauvinism. And Sol Plaatje’s wit, intelligence, and tenacity in the face of racial zealots made him truly remarkable. King Moshoeshoe revealed humanity and diplomatic strategies that put him head and shoulders above his contemporaries, both European and African. And Sailor Malan fought fascists in the skies of Europe and on the streets of South Africa. Many others have been neglected, like Cissie Gool, the outspoken Muslim woman who spent a lifetime fighting for justice. John Fairbairn who brought non-racial democracy to the Cape in 1854. And Eugène Marais, a lifelong morphine-addict who made startling observations about baboons and termites. And what about Miriam Makeba, who started her life in prison and ended it as an international singing sensation? And Thuli Madonsela (the book’s only living legend) who gracefully felled the most powerful man in the land? True story: South Africa has produced some of the greatest legends in history.