Nqakula memoir: Zuma must go
A MAJOR book is to be launched tomorrow by former journalist, military commander and cabinet minister Charles Nqakula. The People’s War – Reflections of an ANC Cadre, offers a compelling memoir of those who participated in the Struggle for freedom.
It seeks to pay homage to the unheralded and often seemingly forgotten fighters of the liberation movement.
In his book, Nqakula calls on President Jacob Zuma, a close confidant, to relinquish the state presidency when he gives up the leadership of the ANC in December, so as to give the new president an opportunity to lead the liberation movement into the watershed 2019 general elections.
This was because Zuma had become “the weakest link” amid widespread allegations and increasing evidence of state capture.
The Mutloatse Arts Heritage Trust and Real African Publishers describe the book as “a highly personal and evocative glimpse into extraordinary life experiences. It offers a vivid account of complex situations that shaped his life, that of his compatriots and South Africa today, with intimate access to key politicians and monumental moments through the history of the ANC”.
The book is to be launched tomorrow at 6pm at The Castle in Cape Town, the first building and stronghold of the colonialists, and home of the then apartheid army’s Western Province Command, which was bombed by the ANC’s armed wing Umkhonto weSizwe, of which Nqakula was a senior commander.
While it now serves as the Western Cape headquarters of a united SANDF, The Castle was where the first political prisoners were incarcerated, tortured and killed.
As a journalist and leader of the journalist union, the Media Workers Association of South Africa, Nqakula was jailed, tortured, banned and forced into exile, serving full-time in MK in exile and in Cape Town as part of Operation Vula.
The launch, to be attended by cabinet ministers, MPs and dignitaries, is to include a keynote address by Nqakula’s wife, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
Say the publishers: “Over a span of 50 years, the book humanises what it means to struggle by unearthing stories of personal encounters with an extensive spectrum of ANC cadres. Experiences with iconic leaders past and present, such as Oliver Tambo, offer readers an encyclopedic insight into an often hidden world.
“Now, speaking openly for the first time, a former general secretary of the SACP and political adviser to the Presidency, gives readers a ringside seat to his emotional and often painful journey of love, struggle, tragedy and commitment with his wife and family.
“The People’s War revisits the past in light of a politically charged present and asks difficult questions of the ANC by exposing sensitive truths and observations in the party. The book offers a platform to reconsider South Africa’s collective memory by connecting with the country’s political pathway, acknowledging sacrifices made and proposing solutions to the current political crisis.”
Mutloatse Arts Heritage Trust founder, Dr Mothobi Mutloatse, said: “With South Africa facing uncharted political waters, politicians and the people want to know where our country is headed, The People’s War – Reflections of an ANC Cadre gives readers a chance to reflect on our current crisis through the lens of history.” – Staff Reporter