One hundred years ago, a multiracial band of freedom fighters in the arid hinterland north of the Gariep River in modern-day Namibia were finally crushed by SA’s Union Defence Force. The Bondelswarts should never be forgotten
If you paid even a moment’s attention during high-school history lessons, you probably know that 1910 brought about the Union of South Africa, that the 1948 general election ushered in apartheid, and that the Rainbow Nation was born when Madiba triumphed in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994. Spoilt Ballots dishes the dirt on these pivotal events in our history. But it also sheds light on a dozen lesser-known contests, starting with the assassination of King Shaka in 1828 and ending with the anointing of President Cyril at Nasrec in 2017.
Trade unionist Clements Kadalie, anti-apartheid activist Zainunnisa “Cissie” Gool and journalist John Fairbairn were highlighted as among the memorable people mentioned in ‘Spoilt Ballots’, a new book by Matthew Blackman and Nick Dall.
For many South Africans, the quiet and calmness that can be found in the water – one of the rare places with few, if any, human-related threats – has been transformational.