Is the Party Over? by Oscar van Heerden will be out from Jacana Media in March, ahead of the elections on 29 May.
‘By the early evening, the irresolute and weakened Ramaphosa slate left no one unscathed—not Mabuyane, not Lamola, not the Mkhize camp … the situation left a power vacuum in its wake. The bigger picture remained unresolved. There was no obvious successor to David Mabuza.’
As an ANC insider, Oscar van Heerden had a ringside seat at the ANC elective conference at Nasrec in 2022. In Is the Party Over?, he presents a gripping account of how political power changed hands and what was at stake as Cyril Ramaphosa battled to strengthen his power.
Van Heerden does not simply give us the numbers, the money, the delegates, the switching, the promises and the backstabbing. In this powerful account of the inner workings of a cripplingly divided political party, he is part of the story, having to contend with his great disappointment with the party of liberation.
Vivid and unputdownable, Is the Party Over?, is a future classic and a must-read for these testing times.
Available for purchase at all good bookstores and online on 1 March 2024.
Oscar will be launching and discussing this book at the following locations:
Exclusive Books Rosebank: 12 March 2024
Time of the Writer, Durban: 14–21 March 2024
Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees: 23–31 March 2024
Franschhoek Literary Festival: 17–19 May 2024
Kingsmead Book Fair: 25 May 2024
About the author
Oscar van Heerden is one of South Africa’s foremost political analysts and authors. Van Heerden has written for publications, participated in several organisations, written columns and challenged the political and social status quo. He has also held numerous executive positions. Also by Oscar van Heerden: Consistent or Confused: The Politics of Mbeki’s Foreign Policy 1995–2007 and Two Minutes to Midnight: Will Ramaphosa’s ANC Survive?
