Joe Modise (1929-2001), a Sophiatown bus driver-turned freedom fighter, was a humble man who tended to avoid the limelight. A protege of the Mandela leadership in the 1950s mass struggle, he was one of the youngest among that decade’s Treason Trial, and was a senior commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) from its inception, facing danger and privation most of his adult life.

Modise served with acclaim as democratic South Africa’s first Minister of Defence and won the loyalty of his former enemy when many thought the country could be plunged into civil war or held to ransom by old-order apartheid generals.

The fact that Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo selected him for key positions over five decades of exacting struggle testifies to their sustained confidence in him. This fact alone belies the impression some might have that he was an amoral warlord. As a government minister, he led a modest lifestyle and did not die a wealthy man.

This book interlinks frank and engaging interviews with family and friends, comrades­ in-arms and former adversaries. Those who knew him reveal a warm human being and provide endearing insights into who Modise really was. As a soldier, statesman and leader, he has left behind an astonishing legacy that deserves to be widely known.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ronnie Kasrils was born in Johannesburg in 1938. After matriculating from KES, he worked as a scriptwriter for a film company before joining Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) at its inception. In 1963, he left South Africa in exile and worked for the ANC, the SACP and the MK until his return to the country in 1990. Kasrils served on the highest bodies of all three organisations and was Chief of Military Intelligence for MK. From 1994 to 2008, he served under the democratic government in the portfolios of Deputy Minister of Defence, Minister of Water & Forestry and Minister of Intelligence Services.

Dr Fidelis Hove is an economist, development specialist, and researcher based in Pretoria. He is an executive at a leading development consulting firm, where he spearheads work on poverty, social protection, and employment facilitation across Africa and the Middle East. Before his current role, he was a senior civil servant in the South African government.

'Comrade and Commander: The Life and Times of Joe Modise' is published by Jacana Media