Struggle and Hope

Mda Mda presents us here with a gift. He knows more about the history of the Xhosa-speaking people than almost anybody. This knowledge is derived from, on the one hand, simple proximity - his closeness to the people - and, on the other, a lifelong passion for the scholarship of what we now call the Eastern Cape. Proximity brings to life detail which we would not ordinarily have access to. The scholarship locates the story of the Xhosa-speaking people in the big picture of global politics and of imperialism in the main. Such a coming together is rare.

- Prof Crain Soudien, CEO, Human Sciences Research Council

The book contains a comprehensive expose on the life & times of K.D. Matanzima in the Transkei. It summarizes the period of hope at the beginning but ultimately ends up in a situation where all hope is lost. It takes you through the vicissitudes of the political struggles where a Tshunengwa exposes the dark days of the Transkeian tyranny by asking 'what does this fellow think he is doing?'

- M.P. Giyose, Deputy-President New Unity Movement; AIDC Board Member

This book, based on lived experience and events "as they were related to the author," makes an important and refreshing contribution to current debates on the complexities of chieftainship. Whoever doubted the value of oral history in the reconstruction and understanding of our past must read the book.

- Prof Lungisile Ntsebeza, Centre for African Studies, University of Cape Town