Spear of the Nation (Umkhonto weSizwee): South Africa's Liberation Army, 1960s-1990s

by Janet Cherry

Informative and portable, this guide offers a brief yet lively introduction to the Umkhonto we Sizwe’s (MK) history; the MK was the armed wing of the African National Congress, which fought against the South African apartheid government. Written by leading experts in their fields, it presents in broad outline the various stages in MK’s 30-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. With personal accounts from those who were active members of this armed group, this handbook also provides a critical analysis of the South African liberation struggle.

Genres: South Africa, History, Africa, Nonfiction

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Brian Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short book that gives a good overview of the history of the uMkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress in the anti-apartheid struggle of South Africa. While its length means that only the bare bones of the history is conveyed, it still is very thought provoking about some features of the organization. One of example is that the author points out that while the MK as an armed group was in most ways ineffective from a military standpoint,in the struggle it still inspired the movement and the armed struggle of the township uprisings of the 1980s. The “military” goals were in some way secondary to the political goals which per the author was one of the unique features of the MK. If you know little about the MK and want a crash course of a history that you can read in an afternoon this is a good start.