WHY LIBERATION MOVEMENTS FAIL, perspectives from across Africa

276pp. paperback, Penguin Books, Cape Town, 2026

ISBN: 9781776392452

Through a series of case studies by leading scholars, policymakers and political insiders, this edited collection examines why so many of Africa’s liberation movements – once symbols of hope, sacrifice and justice –  frequently reproduced extractive political economies, entrenched elite power, and relied on patronage, coercion and control to maintain authority

As a new generation across Africa challenges entrenched elites and demands performance over history, this timely volume explores whether political systems rooted in struggle can reinvent themselves for an era defined by accountability, inclusion and development.

Greg Mills is a custodian of the Platform for African Democrats and runs Greg Mills & Associates, which advises African leaders on governance and economic growth. Before this, he was Director of the Brenthurst Foundation. He also sat on the Danish Africa Commission and on the African Development Bank's panel on fragile states, and served four deployments to the International Security Force in Afghanistan as advisor to the commander. His books include Why Africa Is Poor; Rich State, Poor State, why some countries succeed and others fail and Expensive Poverty, why aid fails and how it can work.

Ray Hartley is a custodian of the Platform for African Democrats and a director of Greg Mills & Associates. He formerly served as research director of the Brenthurst Foundation and as editor of The Times and the Sunday Times, Rand Daily Mail and BusinessLIVE. His books include The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, scenarios for Africa's uncertain future (with Greg Mills and Mills Soko) and Ramaphosa: The path to power.