My Own Liberator: A Memoir

Synopsis

In My Own Liberator, Dikgang Moseneke Pays Homage To The Many People And Places That Have Helped To Define And Shape Him. In Tracing His Ancestry, The Influence On Both His Maternal And Paternal Sides Is Evident In The Values They Imbued In Their Children -- The Importance Of Family, The Value Of Hard Work And Education, An Uncompromising Moral Code, Compassion For Those Less Fortunate And Unflinching Refusal To Accept An Unjust Political Regime Or Acknowledge Its Oppressive Laws. As A Young Activist In The Pan-africanist Congress, At The Tender Age Of Fifteen, Moseneke Was Arrested, Detained And, In 1963, Sentenced To Ten Years On Robben Island For Participating In Anti-apartheid Activities. Physical Incarceration, Harsh Conditions And Inhumane Treatment Could Not Imprison The Political Prisoners' Minds, However, And For Many The Island Became A School Not Only In Politics But An Opportunity For Dedicated Study, Formal And Informal. It Set The Young Moseneke On A Path Towards A Law Degree That Would Provide The Bedrock For A Long And Fruitful Legal Career And See Him Serve His Country In The Highest Court. My Own Liberator Charts Moseneke' S Rise As One Of The Country's Top Legal Minds, Who Not Only Helped To Draft The Interim Constitution, But For Fifteen Years Acted As A Guardian Of That Constitution For All South Africans, Helping To Make It A Living Document For The Country And Its People.--publisher Description. My Paternal Parentage -- My Father And His Siblings -- On My Mother's Side -- Early Childhood -- 'eagles, Sir!' -- High School Days, Twice Cut Short -- Arrest, Detention And Interrogation -- On Trial At The Old Synagogue -- Robben Island, Here We Come ... -- Wheelbarrows And Handguns- The First Six Months -- Taming The Wild Beast -- Education Project -- Eighteen-day Hunger Strike -- The Makana Football Association -- Prison Letters, Visits And Unfailing Support -- Homecoming -- Coping With The New World -- The Start Of A Career -- Husband And Father -- Maluleke, Seriti And Moseneke -- The Business Of Business And Football -- Activists In Revolt -- The Black Lawyers Association -- The Bar -- Some Notable Cases -- The End Of Exile ... And Of Apartheid -- The Pac And The Indecision -- A Few Detours During Transition -- Negotiations And An Interim Constitution -- 'dikgang, I Am Glad I Have Found You ... ' -- Back To The Bar, Acting Judge And Constitutional Court Nomination -- Telkom And Nail -- The Bench Beckons Again -- My Family Hits A Deadly Patch -- 'what Matters Is What Is Good For Our People' Dikgang Moseneke. Foreword By Thabo Mbeki. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 361-363) And Index.