For much of its time in power, the National Party government was shored up by the direct involvement of its security forces. Ordinary citizens had no idea that their taxes were being used to fund unorthodox and even illegal operations, ranging from international propaganda campaigns to local death squads. From the dreaded Security Branch, the sinister Civil Cooperation Bureau, the aptly named BOSS and the ubiquitous front companies set up to bypass an arms embargo and economic sanctions, South Africa was run by stealth. It was the government’s Total Strategy against the enemy’s Total Onslaught. A handful of intrepid journalists began the process of uncovering the truth about apartheid, but despite their dedication and the later efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa’s recent history remains fraught with secrets. Now, for the first time, investigative reporter De Wet Potgieter can reveal the truth behind some of the most enigmatic events in South Africa’s past, from what happened during PW Botha’s final cabinet meeting to the assassination of Olof Palme. These, and many other news stories of the time, afford a rare and fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes machinations of South Africa’s security apparatus in the apartheid era.

The end of the Second World War may have heralded peace in Europe but conflicts in Southern Africa were about to begin. The imperial powers were weakened by the cost of war and a string of wars challenged colonial rule in countries such as Namibia, Angola and Rhodesia. Once independence was achieved, civil wars between rival factions unfamiliar with democratic principles resulted. Liberation movements such as those in South Africa demanded self-rule and end to Apartheid. Tribal feuds, corruption and the ambitions of dictators led to more conflicts such as the protracted fighting in the Congo. These were wars that ran on until both sides were exhausted often only to be re-kindled after short periods of uneasy peace. The cost in human and material terms has been devastating and in too many cases remain so. Economic development has been frustrated and the result is often poverty, abuse and genocide. The Author who knows Southern Africa as a native is superbly equipped to tell this fascinating if tragic record.

A comprehensive account of Southern Africa's incessant troubled history since the end of the Second World War

Never-before-published information on the behind-the-scenes machinations of South Africa's security apparatus

"The standard of contribution is high . . . the reader gets a good sense of the cutting edge of historical research." – African Affairs