Anatomy of a Miracle: The End of Apartheid and the Birth of the New South Africa

by Patti Waldmeir

The late 1980s were a dismal time inside South Africa. Mandela's African National Congress was banned. Thousands of ANC supporters were jailed without charge. Government hit squads assassinated and terrorized opponents of white rule. Ordinary South Africans, black and white, lived in a perpetual state of dread. Journalist Patti Waldmeir evokes this era of uncertainty in Anatomy of a Miracle, her comprehensive new book about the stunning and-historically speaking-swift tranformation of South Africa from white minority oligarchy to black-ruled democracy. Much that Waldmeir documents in this carefully researched and elegantly written book has been well reported in the press and in previous books. But what distinguishes her work is a reporter's attention to detail and a historian's sense of sweep and relevance. . . .Waldmeir has written a deeply reasoned book, but one that also acknowledges the power of human will and the tug of shared destiny."-Philadelphia Inquirer

Genres: Africa, South Africa, History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 1997

Reviews

[Daniel Villines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon recently finishing James Michener's 1,250 pages that comprise The Covenant, I realized that Michener only guessed at the true ending of Apartheid some 15 years before it actually happened. He provided four possibilities, and to his credit, one of them actually happened. While I watched the transformation, my perspective was from halfway around the world and far removed from having an actual vested interest in it. The South African transformation, indeed, seemed like a miracle.

As a reporter covering South Africa for the Financial Times of London, Patti Waldmeir's credentials want for nothing. Before and throughout the transformation, Waldmeir was in South Africa and the adjoining African countries that housed the African National Congress (ANC) in exile. She interviewed the leaders, negotiators, and people on both side throughout the decade-long journey that was the actual transformation. The result of her diligence and dedication is this book, and for a recounting of history, it doesn’t get any better than this.

As for the miracle that's dissected by Waldmeir, it's comprised of the South African nation. Blacks and whites were proud to be South African and more importantly, they respected each others claims to the land of their heritage and home. On the whole, all of the people of South Africa deeply wanted to be free. It's obvious that the oppressed wanted their freedom to determine the course of their future, but the oppressors deeply felt the burden of their subjugation. There is a quote in the book from Nelson Mandela that sums up this idea perfectly:

A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness...The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity. The oppressor must be liberated just as surly as the oppressed. - Nelson Mandela

This want of freedom was the motivating, moral and ethical force on both sides. South Africa was fortunate to have produced two leaders, Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk, who both had the wisdom and pragmatism to feel their way through a murky path. From my US perspective that path seemed impassable. Their accomplishment is shared and obvious. The path, however, was indeed filled with traps, pitfalls, and decisions that were rooted in a blind faith in their better angels.

As for the future, it is uncertain. The book was published in 1997, just after the transformation, which leaves me once again in search of an ending, at least as it exists today. However, Waldmeir provided her hope for the future of the New South Africa with her passage:

South Africa, A land of intolerance, and despair would deliver itself a miracle. Like every miracle it had its antecedents...it was less a gift from God than a gift from men to other men. Perhaps there is a chance - just a chance - that such a man-made miracle can endure. - Patti Waldemar

[Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good history of the negotiations between the ANC and the National Party as they ended Apartheid in favor of democracy. The book explains the reasons behind De Klerk's move towards the elections (vainity, and prestige as well as the understanding that apartheid was falling a part and the realization that the ANC weren't as much of a threat as they were in the past) and the change in the feelings of the Afrikaners (many of the educated whites were nire worried about economics and reputation in the world than keeping the apartheid state running). Also, did a good job explaining the mind set of the ANC and their leaders.

Overall, it did a great job of walking the reader through the negotiations and events that rocked ZA and the world during the late 80's and early 90's.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is nonfiction, it was riveting. She is a great writer and the story is inspirational. The only sad thing about it is that this transition went so smoothly, yet soooo many other countries with similar problems can't seem to work their differences out and that so many in those countries are left to suffer because of it.

[Chris Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent counterbalance to the autobiographies of de Klerk and Mandela.