In the murky world of espionage few rules apply. Everything is permitted in the name of state security – even talking to the country’s Enemy No. 1. This is exactly what Niël Barnard, then head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), did in the late 1980s. On instruction of PW Botha, he started top-secret talks with Nelson Mandela in prison. Not even Cabinet was informed. In Secret Revolution Barnard reveals, for the first time, the details of these meetings – the precursor to Mandela’s release and the first democratic elections. Barnard’s disclosures offer fascinating insights into Mandela the man, his convictions and strategic reasoning. The book also sheds light on the daily lives of spies during NIS’s heyday in the 1980s and contains several revelations: From the secret communication channel NIS established with the KGB and the British operatives caught spying on South Africa’s nuclear capability to ministers’ sexual escapades.
About the author
Tobie Wiese is a respected journalist and writer. During his journalistic career he filled many senior positions, including as news editor of Huisgenoot and deputy-editor of Insig. He also lectured for three years at the University of Stellenbosch’s Department of Journalism and was a manager at Media24’s Journalism Academy before he retired in 2012.
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