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Comrade and Commander: The Life and Times of Joe Modise
Joe Modise (1929-2001), a Sophiatown bus driver-turned freedom fighter, was a humble man who tended to avoid the limelight. A protege of the Mandela leadership in the 1950s mass struggle, he was one of the youngest among that decade's Treason Trial, and was a senior commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe
(MK) from its inception, facing danger and privation most of his adult life. Modise served with acclaim as democratic South Africa's first Minister of Defence and won the loyalty of his former enemy when many thought the country could be plunged into civil war or held to ransom by old-order apartheid generals. The fact that Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo selected him for key positions over five decades of exacting struggle testifies to their sustained confidence in him. This fact alone belies the impression some might have that he was an amoral warlord. As a government minister, he led a modest lifestyle and did not die a wealthy man.
This book interlinks frank and engaging interviews with family and friends, comrades in-arms and former adversaries. Those who knew him reveal a warm human being and provide endearing insights into who Modise really was. As a soldier, statesman and leader, he has left behind an astonishing legacy that deserves to be widely known.
(MK) from its inception, facing danger and privation most of his adult life. Modise served with acclaim as democratic South Africa's first Minister of Defence and won the loyalty of his former enemy when many thought the country could be plunged into civil war or held to ransom by old-order apartheid generals. The fact that Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo selected him for key positions over five decades of exacting struggle testifies to their sustained confidence in him. This fact alone belies the impression some might have that he was an amoral warlord. As a government minister, he led a modest lifestyle and did not die a wealthy man.
This book interlinks frank and engaging interviews with family and friends, comrades in-arms and former adversaries. Those who knew him reveal a warm human being and provide endearing insights into who Modise really was. As a soldier, statesman and leader, he has left behind an astonishing legacy that deserves to be widely known.
508 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 10, 2024
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December 17, 2024
Took me a while as I came back to it a few times. A lot of the interviews aren’t that new to anyone with a decent knowledge of MK. The interviews with Modise’s wife and children were more revelatory about a man who history would otherwise not know as having a personal life, what with the well known seriousness with which he carried out every role he inhabited. The later chapters and epilogue were full of the most writing that was new to me. Joe Modise was clearly a great father, soldier, and leaderwhose role in the history of African liberation (not just South African) cannot be understated.
Displaying 1 of 1 review