Book review: Robert Sobukwe: How Can Man Die Better

Published Apr 20, 2016

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When it comes to biographies, a match made in heaven is surely when the author is a writer by trade and has a personal connection with the subject.

This is true in the case of author, Benjamin Pogrund, who knew his subject, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, personally for most of his adult life.

Twenty-two years after our first democratic elections, there is some fatigue about the government on the one hand, and others blaming apartheid when trying to escape culpability.

That obviously does not mean that apartheid is blameless of negatively impacting on our country’s history.

One of the many negative spin-offs of our harsh past is that South Africa was robbed of leaders who would have changed the course of our history.

Even though, after 27 years of incarceration, Nelson Mandela became our first democratically- elected president, one must still wonder about those 27 lost years.

Chris Hani is another of those who could have played a much more prominent role in our country.

Steve Biko also comes to mind.

What might have been?

When reading this book, this is the question that confronts one throughout: What might have been if Robert Sobukwe had been able to play the leadership role that he clearly was destined to play in South Africa if the then prime minister John Vorster had not decided this man had to be stopped at all costs.

Instead of this, we have the “Sobukwe clause” as part of our history.

If you are one of those South Africans who does not know anything about Robert Sobukwe, then this is the book to read.

And take my word, throughout this most interesting read, you will be haunted by thoughts of what might have been.

There are many other questions that are answered by this book too.

Is the PAC the “black answer to the old CP” which represented exclusively white interests?

Were Sobukwe and the PAC of that day thus racist?

Was Poqo the PAC equivalent of Umkhonto we Sizwe?

Why did the PAC not expand on its support as it did after the pass law strike which is associated with the Sharpeville shootings?

It seems that the PAC managed to set off a chain of events that the ANC of Chief Albert Luthuli could not manage.

And central to most of these questions is the personality of Robert Sobukwe, an individual who it seems is unknown to most South Africans.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants a better understanding of part of our history.

* Robert Sobukwe: How Can Man Die Better b y Benjamin Pogrund is published by Jonathan Ball

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