Book Review: A Rumour of Spring

5/5

Max Du Preez is a South African author, journalist, and documentary filmaker. He was also editor and founder of the magazine Vrye Weekblad, a magazine founded in the 1980s opposing apartheid. His book 'A Rumour of Spring: South Africa 20 Years After Democracy' is an overview of the political developments in South Africa since the first free election in 1994. He covers housing and infrustructure, education, land ownership etc. I found his chapter on education particularly informative and disturbing. He gives a clear overview of the quality of public education in South Africa and outlines the problems and what would be needed to solve them. He also delves into the repurcussions of poor standards of education and the failure that will impact the country if these problems aren't rectified.

The book is a fantastic introduction to the traumatic legacy left by apartheid in the rainbow nation as well as where the current government is going wrong (which is in many, MANY places). Espcially interesting is his last chapter on race and what it means to be afrikaner for him in today's South Africa. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know about the current state of affairs in South Africa and a begginer's introduction as to why and how the present political situations has come about.

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