Heart of whiteness Book

Even though it is 20 years since this book was written, it is still highly relevant to South African politics. It is a series of interviews and commentaries on those interviews given by 137 Afrikaners (or, more accurately, Afrikaans speakers) about the future of South Africa. Some of them were major players in the enforcement of apartheid, and then in the transition period following the unbanning of the ANC and other organisations, and the release of Mandela. Some of them were just ordinary people caught up in events.

The interviews are funny, heartrending, perceptive, stupid, hopeful, frightening and provide a bedrock of evidence about how one section of then white community responded to events. Sometimes the audacity of people who implemented apartheid is breath-taking, as they claimed to have opposed the ideology from the inside. The courage of people who opposed apartheid can only be admired. And you can only feel sympathy for ordinary people who were bewildered by what was happening, even when you disagree with everything that they said.

This book gives the evidence for the knife-edge on which the negotiations for the end of apartheid balanced. It is evidence of the difficulties of the transition period. Perhaps, it should be read in conjunction with Julie Frederikse's "The Unbreakable Thread" to get a full view of the story.

But anyone who is interested in the history of apartheid and its demise should read this book.