A BURNING HUNGER, how Tsietsi Mashinini ignited a revolution that changed the struggle, South Africa and his family forever

451pp., illus., map, paperback, First SA Edition, Jacana, Johannesburg, (2004) 2026

ISBN: 9781431437085

First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Jonathan Cape. First published in the USA Britain in 2006 by Ihio University Press.

The history of Tsietsi Mashinini (1957-1990), one of the student leaders of the 1976 Soweto uprising, and his religious and law-abiding Soweto family, and how his actions on 16th June set in motion a chain of events that would change South Africa, define his family, and transform their lives.

His parents, Joseph and Nomkhitha Mashinini, and their twelve other children found themselves drawn inexorably into the struggle for liberation. Five sons became leaders in the anti-apartheid movement. Theirs is a story of exile, imprisonment, torture, and loss, but also of dignity, courage, and strength in the face of appalling adversity.

“The apostles of apartheid wanted African children to become hewers of wood and drawers of water. Lynda Schuster shows why those of Nomkhitha and Joseph Mashinini became brave freedom fighters instead. They were sustained by the spirit of their ancestors, their religious belief and their confidence in the leaders of the struggle. The story of the Mashininis is a lesson which both oppressors and democrats should read.” George Bizos, human rights advocate and author of No One to Blame: In Pursuit of Justice in South Aftrica

“This is an earnest and passionate historical account, crafted from meticulous research and study. It is a narrative made for captivating reading and painful reminder of the brutality of the apartheid system. The book is a welcome addition to a much needed but historically neglected genre of struggle biography.” Reverend Frank Chikane, former Director-General in the Office of South African President Thabo Mbeki

Lynda Schuster worked as a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor in Africa, Central and South America and the Middle East. She is also the author of the memoir Dirty Wars and Polished Silver: The Life and Times of a War Correspondent Turned Ambassatrix.