This is the eagerly anticipated new and updated edition of William Gumede’s book on Thabo Mbeki, which became a runaway bestseller in 2005.

This is the eagerly anticipated new and updated edition of William Gumede’s book on Thabo Mbeki, which became a runaway bestseller in 2005. Since then, South African politics has been in turmoil: Mbeki’s former deputy, Jacob Zuma, was sacked, accused and acquitted of rape, and faces the resumption of corruption charges in 2007; Mbeki has been under attack at home for his government’s failure to deal effectively with issues such as crime, poverty and AIDS, and on the international front for his policy of ‘quiet diplomacy’ in neighbouring Zimbabwe. In this book, Gumede analyses these issues, as well as those he believes will dominate African politics over the next decade. Most importantly, he looks at what Mbeki is likely to do over the next two years to ensure that his successor will be a worthy custodian of the ANC’s soul.