Your purchase has been completed. Your documents are now available to view.
Changing the currency will empty your shopping cart.
Thisis the book that Alex Boraine never wanted to write. As a native South Africanand a witness to the worst years of apartheid, he has known many of the leadersof the African National Congress in exile. He shared the jubilation of millionsof South Africans when the ANC won the first democratic elections in 1994 andtook up the reins of government under the presidency of Nelson Mandela.Now, two decades later, he is forcedto wonder what exactly has gone wrong in South Africa. Intolerance and corruption are the hallmarksof the governing party, while the worsening state of education, health, safetyand security and employment strengthen the claim that South Africa is a failingstate. Boraine explores this urgent and critical issue from the vantage pointof wide experience as a minister, parliamentarian, co-founder of the Institutefor Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) and Vice Chairperson of South Africa’s Truthand Reconciliation Committee. He digs deep into the history of the ANC andconcludes that both in exile and today, the ANC is slavishly committed to one partyas the dominant ruling factor. All else – the Executive, Parliament, theJudiciary, civil society and the media – take second and third place. The ANC,Boraine claims, seeks to control every institution.What’sGone Wrong? pulls no punches, but it also goes beyond strong criticism and offers anumber of constructive proposals, including the re-alignment of politics as away of preventing South Africa becoming a failed state. As South Africa mournsthe loss of Mandela and embarks on another national election, with the ANClikely to begin a third decade of rule, this incisive, detailed critique isrequired reading for all who are interested in the fate of this young nation.
Alex Boraine served in South Africa’s Parliament and was one of the main architects of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 2001, Boraine co-founded the International Center for Transitional Justice, and now serves as Global Visiting Professor of Law at the NYU School of Law's Hauser Global Law School Program. He is the author of two previous books, A Country Unmasked and A Life in Transition."
[T]his is an important and thoughtful discussion of key challenges facing south Africa. Drawing not only on published sources, but also experience and interviews with key players even inside the ANC, Boraine's reputation as a champion of liberal democratic values, like that of Desmond Tutu makes this a critique that cannot easily be dismissed.
Boraine, an influential white antiapartheid activist, has written a scathing critique of the ANC, the black dominated party that has ruled South Africa for the past two decades . . . this heartfelt critique of South Africa's status quo deserves a read.
Unlike many other political science books, it is refreshing and heartening that Boraine takes pains to present as balanced a perspective as possible, acknowledging both the good and the bad of the government that now rules. His prescriptions for improvement . . . are important and appropriate for making the point that all is not lost. It is still possible for South Africa to succeed as a nation state in spite of all that has gone wrong.
Boraine's brief against the country's rulers will command attention from readers interested in South African politics.
from the Foreword by Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus:We are in dire straits in our beloved country. In this hard-hitting volume, Alex Boraine incisively and with great perspicacity answers the question so many are asking: & whats gone wrong? . . . We have the human and natural resources to become a scintillating success instead of a failed state, and Boraine shows some of what we need to do.
Max du Preez,author of Of Warriors, Lovers, and Prophets: Unusual Stories from South Africa's Past:At a time of much smoke and many mirrors, where better to turn to for clarity and understanding than one of the rare voices with gravitas and credibility in South Africa today, political veteran Alex Boraine.
Please login or register with De Gruyter to order this product.