Gripping insights from a varied life
Former minister enthralls with tales of ‘triumphs, heartaches’
THE NMMU Missionvale lecture hall proved to be too small as students and businessmen alike packed it at last night’s The Herald Community Dialogue launching former Azapo president Mosibudi Mangena’s book, Triumphs & Heartaches: A Courageous Journey by South African Patriots.
More than 100 people listened attentively to Mangena’s take on pressing societal issues, ranging from education, corruption and development through science to black-on-black oppression.
All are highlighted in the 312-page book, which provides a fascinating insight into Mangena’s life, including his time in exile as a political refugee, then as leader of Azapo, the deputy education minister and the science and technology minister .
“I wrote this book to try encourage others to write their story. I can only give my account of the events as I saw them take place, but to- gether we are able to provide a holistic view of the events that transpired.”
Reflecting on his life as a prisoner detained at Walmer police station, Mangena said the sacrifices made during the liberation struggle made the freedoms of today possible.
“I remember when I was detained [there] having to eat dry bread three times a day and then washing it down with toilet water from the cell. To manage to overthrow an oppressive system, those are the heartaches we had to overcome to achieve the triumphs referred to in the book,” he said.
The respondent, black consciousness activist Andile Mngxitama, said the book raised questions which needed to be addressed on wider platforms if South Africa was to progress as a country.
“Issues like xenophobia – the book tells of a time when we as South Africans were refugees running from our country and that’s how our languages developed, by taking pieces from different countries.
“In that way the book tells the full story which we as civilians never heard.
“Now we have things like Operation Fiela which illustrates the government protecting colonial borders and arresting foreigners just because they are here. There is a re-emergence of black consciousness, and this book highlights that the Mandela plan failed [and] it is time for a Biko movement,” Mngxitama said.
Hands shot up as soon as the speaker opened the floor for questions. Lungile Phillips asked the former minister what should be done regarding the state of education and corruption in the country.
Mangena replied: “We should just do it, simply teach our children . . . we simply need to apply ourselves.
“Corruption needs to be combated with competency. People in power in this country only want to give work or tenders to people they own. We as a society should be competent enough not to feed that monster, as we soon end up bribing for everything.”
‘ I wrote this book to try and encourage others to write their story