Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #134 begins on 01 Oct 2026

Simpson (Thula)

UMKHONTO WE SIZWE

The ANC's Armed Struggle

Published: Penguin Random House, Cape Town, 2017

Edition: Second Printing

Reserve: $45

Approximately:

Estimate: $80

Bidding opens: 1 Oct 16:30 GMT

Bidding closes: 8 Oct 16:30 GMT

Ships from: South Africa

Lot 265 preview

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xi + 591pp. Index. 8 double-sided plates with b/w photographs. Dark grey boards with white and pale grey writing to the spine. 

The armed struggle waged by the ANC’s military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), was the longest sustained insurgency in South African history. This book offers the first full account of the rebellion in its entirety, from its early days in the 1950s to the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as South African president in 1994.

Vast in scope, this story traverses every corner of South Africa and extends throughout southern Africa, where MK’s largest campaigns and heaviest engagements occurred, as well as to the solidarity networks that the rebellion mobilised around the world.

Drawing principally from previously unpublished writings and testimonies by the men and women who fought the armed struggle, this book recreates the drama, heroism and tragedy of their experiences. It tells the story of leaders like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Joe Slovo and Chris Hani, whose reputations were forged in the crucible of the armed struggle, but it is also a tale of martyrs such as Looksmart Ngudle, Ashley Kriel and Phila Ndwandwe, as well as of MK cadres such as Leonard Nkosi and Glory Sedibe, who would ultimately turn against the ANC and collaborate with the state in hunting down their former comrades.

Written in a fresh, immediate style, Umkhonto we Sizwe is an honest account of the armed struggle and a fascinating chronicle of events that changed South African history.

Source: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/product/umkhonto-we-sizwe-9447564/

  • Jacket Condition: Very good
  • Binding Condition: Very good
  • Overall Condition: Very good
  • Size: 240 x 160 x 54 mm


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