One boy's struggle for freedom during South Africa's anti-apartheid movement.
Janice Warman Books
Janice Warman is a journalist whose work delves into themes of social justice and the profound impact of historical events on individuals and communities. She is known for exploring narratives of courage and resilience in the face of oppression. Through her writing, Warman brings to light the stories of those who fought for a better world, emphasizing the significance of collective action and moral fortitude.
The class of '79
- 159 pages
- 6 hours of reading
Out of the class of 1979 at Rhodes University one of the quietest girls in the class, Marion Sparg joined the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC) Umkhonto we Sizwe, trained in exile in Angola, and was eventually convicted of bombing three police stations. The Cape Times journalist Zubeida Jaffer was imprisoned, poisoned, and tortured for her writing and her union activism, yet chose not to prosecute her torturer. Guy Berger, also a student and later a lecturer at Rhodes University, was arrested and interrogated for possession of banned books. He spent seven months in custody, three of which he spent in solitary confinement. He was ultimately sentenced to four years in prison. For them, it began at the moment that each of them realized that what was happening in South Africa was wrong, and that they simply could not tolerate it. And for all of them, that moment came at Rhodes University. Each of them chose to reject their backgrounds and take the path of resistance, following in the footsteps of the famous few. Among these were the writers Breyten Breytenbach, Nadine Gordimer, Ingrid Jonker, Alan Paton; and the fighters Albie Sachs, Ruth First, Trevor Manuel, and Joe Slovo. This book is for all those who suffered under apartheid, and suffered to end it, and in particular for Marion, Zubeida, and Guy, who have shared their story so generously.
