With the sad passing of the great Mandela it is up to the left and anti-imperialist forces to remember him as the militant freedom fighter he was, and prevent the media and right-wing politicians from white washing history. In Britain we hear the Tories talk as though Mandela was a great friend and inspiration of theirs, when in reality Britain and other countries reaped the economic benefits brought about by the artificially cheap labour of black workers under a racist regime, and worked hard to prop it up.
This is a brief introduction to a book published recently called “London Recruits: The Secret War against Apartheid”. This is the story of foreign recruits and their activities in South Africa, how they acted in defiance of the Apartheid government and its police on the instructions of the African National Congress. Many recruits were from the YCL or independent socialists; from the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the USA, and they all took amazing risks. Some paid a heavy price for their support. This is their untold story.
Royalties from this book go to The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.
Zoe Hennessy
YCL General Secretary
Purchase the book here at the London Recruits website
