Ben Turok, a former anti apartheid activist and veteran ANC MP, played a key role in the writing of the Freedom Charter, in particular its chapter dealing with economic equality. In November 2011, he broke party ranks and did not vote for the controversial Protection of Information Bill, also known as the Secrecy Bill. As cochairman of Parliament's ethics committee, he enforced strict compliance among MPs with the asset disclosure policy and presided over two controversial cases-those of former communications minister Dina Pule and ANC MP Yolanda Botha, who faced charges of fraud and corruption. With My Head above the Parapet is a record of Ben Turok's experience as a participant in the political life of South Africa since 1994. It is also an insightful account of the ANC's decline and current malaise, told by an insider intent on holding his party to its historical mission of liberating South Africa from poverty, inequality, and discrimination.

About the Author
Ben Turok is a former antiapartheid activist, a member of South Africa's parliament, and a member of the African National Congress. In 2013, he was head of the parliamentary ethics committee that investigated the cabinet minister Dina Pule and found her guilty on charges of corruption. Accused in the 1956 Treason Trial, he was in exile for 25 years, returning to South Africa in 1990. He is the author of The ANC and the Turn to Armed Struggle, The Controversy About Economic Growth, Development in a Divided Country, The Historical Roots of the ANC, and Readings in the ANC Tradition Volumes I and II. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

Reviews
'There is no room for sentimentality in politics and I am no mood to put a rosy gloss on where we are now.' - Ben Turok.



Book Information
ISBN 9781431410415
Author Ben Turok
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Jacana Media
Publisher Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd
Weight(grams) 500g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 155mm * 15mm