“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
With twelve different official languages, the fourth-highest in the world, South Africa is one of the most complex and diverse countries on Earth. Home to the largest European, Asian and multiracial communities in Africa, the lingering effects of Apartheid and racial segregation in South Africa’s modern history continue to reverberate across the country to this day. Now one of the most liberal democracies on the continent and the most technologically advanced country in Africa, what happens in South Africa has a significant impact across the globe. Yet, from the lasting impacts of discrimination, rampant crime and poverty, and political corruption to the ongoing energy crisis, the Rainbow Nation continues to face many issues. Which is why we here at What We Reading thought we would compile some of the most insightful books about South Africa to help you understand the make-up and nature of the country in 2024.
Understanding South Africa – Carien Du Plessis And Martin Plaut
Where better place to start in a list of the best books about South Africa than Carien Du Plessis and Martin Plaut’s acclaimed 2019 release? When Nelson Mandela emerged from decades in jail to preach reconciliation, South Africa truly appeared to be a nation reborn. However, just a quarter of a century on, the country had sunk into bitter divisions and rampant corruption under President Jacob Zuma.
Understanding South Africa was published in October 2019 on the back of Cyril Ramaphosa’s re-election and his attempts to claw back support for the ANC that was lost under the Zuma era. It delves into the ins and outs of the elections, the choices made by the voters and the issues at stake that dictate their thinking. From land redistribution to education, many of these issues continue to dominate South African news in 2024, and Ramaphosa’s struggles in this year’s election make this a fascinating and worthwhile read for understanding the country.
Long Walk To Freedom – Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is the most important figure in South African history and one of the great moral and political leaders of our time. His dedicated fight against racial oppression in the country won him the Nobel Peace Prize and elevated him to the presidency. Quite simply, no list of books for understanding both South Africa and the man himself is complete without mentioning Long Walk to Freedom.
Delivered with elegant and engrossing prose, Long Walk to Freedom chronicles his early years as an impoverished student, his slow political awakening in Johannesburg, and the pivotal role he played in rebirthing the African National Congress (ANC). He vividly recounts the struggles of balancing his political activity with his devotion to his family, the escalating political warfare between the ANC and the apartheid government, the surprisingly eventful twenty-seven years he would serve in prison and, finally, sheds light on the delicate negotiations that led to both his freedom and the beginning of the end of segregation in the country.
The Elephant Whisperer – Lawrence Anthony
When South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of ‘rogue’ elephants on his Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, his common sense told him to turn the offer down. But, he was this herd’s last chance of survival. Dangerous and predictable, they would be killed if he didn’t take them in.
As Lawrence risked his life to create a bond with the troubled elephants and persuade them to stay on his reserve, he came to realise how special a family they were. The wise matriarch, Nana, who guided the herd, to her fighter sister, Frankie, always ready to fend off any threats, to their children who were always fighting to cling to survival. Lawrence Anthony’s The Elephant Whisperer is filled with exotic wildlife, and unforgettable characters and is the ultimate African memoir for animal lovers, adventurous souls and those looking to learn more about South Africa’s animal kingdom.
Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood – Trevor Noah
One of the most famous South African celebrities, Born a Crime is Trevor Noah’s coming-of-age memoir set during the twilight days of apartheid and the rocky days of freedom that followed. Born to a white Swiss father and black Xhosa mother at a time when such a reunion was punishable by five years in prison, Noah’s early days were spent hidden away indoors, away from the government that could swoop in and take him at any moment. But, when white rule came to an end, he and his mother were free to set off on an epic adventure of embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Noah candidly depicts a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man struggling to fit himself into a world that he was never supposed to exist in. It is also a homage to his relationship with his mother, a woman whose fierce determination to save him from cycles of poverty, violence and abuse would threaten her own life.
These Are Not Gentle People – Andrew Harding
At dusk, on a warm evening in 2016, forty men gathered in the corner of a dusty field on a farm outside Parys in the Free State. What followed over the next two hours would come to haunt them all, ripping families apart, prompting suicide attempts, breakdowns, divorces, threats of violent retribution and shocking acts of betrayal.
Award-winning foreign correspondent Andrew Harding delivers the story of this one evening and its aftermath in his book These Are Not Gentle People. Tracing the impact of one fragile moment of community barbarism, he unveils lies, cover-ups, political intrigue and the inner lives of those involved with stunning clarity. It is a story of a small town struggling to cope with a trauma threatening to split it in two. It delves into the heart of modern South Africa, reads like a literary thriller and examines crime, punishment and redemption.
The Mandela Brief: Sydney Kentridge And The Trials Of Apartheid – Thomas Grant
Sydney Kentridge made a name for himself as South Africa’s most prominent anti-apartheid advocate. His story will forever be tied to the country’s emergence from racial injustice and oppression. He is the only lawyer to have acted for three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize – Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Chief Albert Lutuli.
World-renowned for his landmark cases including the Treason Trial of Nelson Mandela and other leading ANC members, the inquiry into the Sharpeville Massacre and the inquest into the death of Steve Biko, he has since become the premier advocate in the UK. One of the best books on South Africa for understanding the cases and legal struggles against apartheid, The Mandela Brief is a fascinating 2022 memoir of the life of Sydney Kentridge.
My Traitor’s Heart: A South African Exile Returns To Face His Country, His Tribe And His Conscience – Rian Malan
First published in 1990, Rian Malan’s My Traitor’s Heart has become one of the most acclaimed books about South Africa. In it, Malan traces his heritage as an Afrikaner, descendant of a centuries-old clan and relative of the architect of apartheid. After coming face-to-face with the atrocities of an undeclared civil war between races, he fled the country and lived in an uneasy exile for eight years.
Armed with new insight and clarity, My Traitor’s Heart documents Malan’s return. He explores apartheid’s legacy of hatred and suffering, bearing witness to the widespread physical and emotional damage it caused to South Africans on both sides of the colour line. By tackling the darkest recesses of black and white South African psyches, he is able to find a path toward redemption and healing, both for himself and his country.
The World That Was Ours – Hilda Bernstein
It was 1963 in South Africa during apartheid when Lionel ‘Rusty’ Bernstein was arrested, along with Nelson Mandela and fifteen other major figures of the African National Congress. They were charged with 221 acts of sabotage designed to ‘ferment violent revolution’. Rusty was one of just two individuals that were acquitted. The rest were all given life sentences.
In her famous 1967 book about South Africa, The World That Was Ours, Rusty’s wife, Hilda Bernstein, offers an astonishingly personal account of the events leading up to the ‘Rivonia Trial’. She also describes how, as a white family with four children, they managed to fight a hostile and unjust regime that had their country ensnared.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
