A Jacana Pocket History: Umkhonto Wesizwe

Umkhonto weSizwe was arguably the last of the great liberation movements of the 20th century -- but it never got to march triumphant into Pretoria. A small group of revolutionaries committed to the seizure of power, they found their principals engaged in negotiated settlement with the enemy and were disbanded soon after. The history of MK is one of paradox and contradiction, of successes and failures.

About the author
Janet Cherry offers a new and nuanced account of MK. She presents in broad outline the various stages in MK's thirty-year history, considers the difficult strategic and moral problems the army faced, and argues that its operations are likely to be remembered as a just war conducted with considerable restraint. She is a human rights activist, researcher and academic who teaches at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. She has written and published on the history of the liberation struggle for the South African Democratic Education Trust.

Author Janet Cherry
ISBN 9781770099616
Format Paperback
Pages 156