What were the origins of the ANC Youth League, where has it gone wrong and how can it once again become an organisation that represents and supports South Africa’s youth? For most of its existence, the ANC Youth League has played a powerful role in the politics of the ANC, and therefore of South Africa. In this book, Youth League member Rebone Tau tells the story of the league, from its formation in Soweto in 1944 to its banning, reconstitution and current standing, highlighting key incidents that led to the organisation’s rise and fall. The book explores the radicalising role played by the league’s early leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and O.R. Tambo; the formation of the ANC Youth and Students Section in exile, first led by Thabo Mbeki; the return from exile in the 1990s and the leadership of Peter Mokaba; the controversies around the presidency of Julius Malema and his subsequent sacking; and the absence of Youth League leadership in the #FeesMustFall movement and current South African politics. Finally, the book considers the role that the Youth League could play in the future. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Youth League insiders, this is a fascinating glimpse into a vital and volatile institution in South African politics.

South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheid examines the history of South Africa from 1948 to the present day, covering the introduction of the oppressive policy of apartheid when the Nationalists came to power, its mounting opposition in the 1970s and 1980s, its eventual collapse in the 1990s, and its legacy up to the present day. Fully revised, the third edition includes: new material on the impact of apartheid, including the social and cultural effects of the urbanization that occurred when Africans were forced out of rural areas analysis of recent political and economic issues that are rooted in the apartheid regime, particularly continuing unemployment and the emergence of opposition political parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters an updated Further Reading section, reflecting the greatly increased availability of online materials an expanded set of primary source documents, providing insight into the minds of those who enforced apartheid and those who fought it. Illustrated with photographs, maps and figures and including a chronology of events, glossary and Who’s Who of key figures, this essential text provides students with a current, clear, and succinct introduction to the ideology and practice of apartheid in South Africa.

This brilliant little book tells the story of the African National Congress (ANC) Youth League from its origins in the 1940s to the present and the controversies over Julius Malema and his influence in contemporary youth politics. Glaser analyzes the ideology and tactics of its founders, some of whom (notably Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo) later became iconic figures in South African history as well as inspirational figures such as A. P. Mda (father of author Zakes Mda) and Anton Lembede. It shows how the early Youth League gave birth not only to the modern ANC but also to its rival, the Pan Africanist Congress. Dormant for many years, the Youth League reemerged in the transition era under the leadership of Peter Mokaba—infused with the tradition of the militant youth politics of the 1980s. Throughout its history the Youth League has tried to “dynamize” and criticize the ANC from within, while remaining devoted to the mother body and struggling to find a balance between loyalty and rebellion.

Argues that the historical primacy of youth politics in Limpopo, South Africa has influenced the production of generations of nationally prominent youth and student activists - among them Julius Malema, Onkgopotse Tiro, Cyril Ramaphosa, Frank Chikane, and Peter Mokaba.

In this book, some of South Africa's finest academic minds reflect on 20 years of democratic rule in the country. How far have South Africans really come? Is race still an entrenched issue in the country? Why does gender discrimination continue? Why are the poor in revolt? Is free expression under threat? What happened to South African Marxism? What drives Julius Malema? How have the unions experienced the post-apartheid years? These (and many other) questions are examined. Analytical and accessible, the book continues a long tradition of engaging South Africa's politics and society in a non-partisan, but critical, fashion. It opens the way for innate explanations and provides insights that lie beyond the workaday accounts usually offered by pundits. [Subject: Sociology, African Studies, Politics]

Julius Malema has risen to prominence and power with meteoric speed. From impoverished origins in a Limpopo township, he has, before the age of 30, amassed the political and economic power to command the entire youth wing of the ANC, and to own several substantial luxury homes. The sources of his wealth are befogged by speculation and mystery, but his appeal to the massed ranks of the township and village poor of his country is visible for all to see. And his inflammatory style -- his 'theme song' is 'Shoot the Boer' -- his contrarian tendencies and his showmanship have rapidly brought him to the attention of the world. So troublesome has he become that the old guard of the ANC have gone to great lengths to shackle and reprimand him, and he is now formally in dispute with them. An Inconvenient Youth traces Malema's life, from his early years in Limpopo to his joining the student structures of the ANC in the early 1990s, and his rapid rise through the party's ranks to become the president of the ANC Youth League in 2008. Forde analyses the sources of Malema's wealth, exploring his seamless approach to business and politics. She situates Malema within the ANC's history and shows in unprecedented detail how he has perfected the practices that characterise a new 'struggle' in which individuals extend their personal wealth and political power at the expense of the people. This insightful, meticulously researched account explores how a brave child has grown to become a grave inconvenience, not only to the ANC, but also, due to his style of politics, to South Africa's fledgling democracy.

"Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand history – and then go out and change it." –President Barack Obama Nelson Mandela was one of the great moral and political leaders of his time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. After his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela was at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is still revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality. Long Walk to Freedom is his moving and exhilarating autobiography, destined to take its place among the finest memoirs of history's greatest figures. Here for the first time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela told the extraordinary story of his life -- an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph. The book that inspired the major motion picture Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.