Crossing the Borders of Power by Colin Eglin

Description

Colin Wells Eglin was a South African politician best known for having served as national leader of the opposition from 1977–79 and 1986-87.

The publication of Colin Eglin’s memoirs is a major contribution to our understanding of South Africa’s tumultuous history in the second half of the twentieth century. Eglin’s autobiography reflects the political and intellectual development of South African liberalism in the age of Apartheid. Eglin served in parliament through the terms of seven successive prime ministers and presidents (from J.G. Strijdom to Thabo Mbeki), and under five constitutions, from the Union Constitution to the Constitution of 1996. Nelson Mandela once praised Eglin as one of the architects of South Africa’s democracy. Eglin continued his parliamentary work over the first decade of South Africa’s transition to democracy, before finally resigning from office in 2004.

In Crossing the Borders of Power, an active life lived well is recalled, from the years of depression to the Second World War, from the establishment of apartheid to non-racial democracy.