South Africa Books

I cannot say enough good things about this little pocket field guide. If you are going to Southern Africa on safari, whether hunting or photographing, you need this book. You can buy it at the airport in Johannesburg, but why wait to find out that the English versions are sold out?

All the mammals (yes all of them) are featured, one species per page. Each page contains color photos (not drawings) of each sex, plus info on habitat, markings, predators, weights, trophy specs and sign! Sorry birders, just mammals.

In addition, the various types of habitats are shown (bushveld, grassland, etc) as to location in Southern Africa, and then each habitat is sub-described in drawings (riverbeds, hillsides, etc) which feature the types of animals which may be found in each sub-habitat. Wow.

This little soft-backed volume fits in the pocket of your vest or shirt and is always there to help you identify the animals you will see.

The best of the bunch!

This powerful book presents the results of three year studies in six countries: South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Senegal and Zambia. It focuses on the attrition among political leaders, depletion of skills and experience in electoral politics, constraints on participation in the electoral process by citizens, and other consequences arising from the AIDS.

Although the summary chapters have value, I found the country by country analysis most interesting. For each country the book provides an unusual insight into their political and cultural institutions.

Malawi's situation is fraught in many respects, particularly the controversies around the voter registers and the legitimacy of leadership.

Namibia faces the challenge of combating HIV/AIDS as a young nation consolidating its democratic institutions.

The AIDS debate in South Africa is almost impossible for an outsider to understand, given its fervor, the debates over electoral reforms and the impact of AIDS amongst registered voters in each of the nine provinces.

Tanzania is cursed with two governments that form a single union: Tanganyika and Zanzibar as the United Republic of Tanzania. Fighting AIDS is complicated by the disparities in infection between the largely Islamic island and the mainland. As in South Africa, it is very difficult for an outsider to understand the bipartisan political partnership in Parliament formed to fight AIDS.

In Zambia there are heated debates on compulsory testing for leaders even though there is evidence of high attrition among parliamentarians from undisclosed illnesses and the impact this might have on the country's political future.

The chapter on Senegal challenges the very concept of democratic governance with a fascinating review of cultural and historic issues.

Idasa is "an independent public interest organisation committed to promoting sustainable democracy based on active citizenship, democratic institutions, and social justice." It enjoys an excellent reputation for its integrity and objectivity in seeking these objectives. As a general reader and an occasional traveler to Africa, I found this a very useful view of Africa.

Robert C. Ross, 2008

I used this book as basis for my LLB dissertation at the National University of Lesotho(1981-82)- Topic - THE LAW AS AN INSTRUMENT OF THE DOMINANT CLASS. It was the first well researched book, I had read , written by a South African about what I call, the real history of South Africa . It is an objective account of the history of South Africa. I have not seen it on the book shelves or stores.The interesting feature is that ,information which was deliberately hidden from local readers,researchers and authors at that time, can now be brought to the fore to dispute various historical myths propagated by European Historians , that the colonisation of South Africa, and indeed of Africa, was about bringing the word of God or civilisation to this part of the world. It further exposes the fallacy that Europeans were not ,and are still not racist.Explorers like Jan Van Riebeck, who allegedly landed in the Cape of Good Hope in 1652, is recorded referring to Africans as "kaffirs" when reporting to his colonial masters about his escapades. I would recommend that this book be re-published and popularised in South Africa so that our young readers and historians could have a much more better understanding of the history of their country and be able deal with racism as we know it South Africa. It is a book that could be useful to all historians in South Africa when rewriting the history of our beloved motherland - It is a book that will give South Africans a better perspective of the Political History of the economy of the country.

This has got to be one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. If you are a World/Political History buff then this book is a must read. I would give it 10 stars out of five to this one!

An updated version of the book is now available. It contains photographs of Cape Town taken in late 1998. I live in Cape Town and I was impressed by the quality and beauty of the photographs in this book. I fell in love with Cape Town all over again. Worth looking at if you have any doubts of visiting this city.

Hierdie boek het pragtige voorbeelde van die meeste milletêre vliegtuie wat veral rondom die Tweede wêreldoorlog in die Suid-Afrikaanse lugruim te sien was. Sentreer hoofsaaklik rondom Ooslondon. Hierdie boek bevat van die realistieste skilderye wat ek nog ooit gesien het.

For anyone interested in getting a behind the scenes perspective of the changes and controversies in recent South African politics. Profiles are sympathetic, but always cut to the heart of the matter. Gevisser has an eye for his subjects' humanity as well as their flaws. Excellent.

This extraordinary collection of essays brings vividly to life the process of crafting the first constitution of post-apartheid South Africa. Writers include many participants in that careful process, as well as legal and constitutional scholars. What is described is a profoundly democratic process intended to capture the genuine will of a people who had been entirely disenfranchised, and now found their aspirations were to be reflected in a founding document. Strikingly, womens rights, economic security, and the protection of the environment receive the explicit protections missing in our own constitution. This book is essential reading for students of democracy, law, rights, and race.

Dr. Bilchitz offers a deep and ethical perpective on the greatest of world issues.

Like the Kite Runner, this is a great come "full circle" book. Hard to put down. You will not be disappointed.