Pregs Govender, an ANC MP in the first parliament after 1994, has written a political memoir that gives us the inside scoop on her part in some of the controversial debates within the ANC on issues like the arms deal and HIV/AIDS.
Mmathshilo Motsei, in her review of Love and Courage: A story of insubordination (Jacana), writes: “Love and Courage… forces us to think the unthinkable.” Motsei (also a Jacana author) expresses her support for what Govender has to say about the discrimination women face in the new South Africa, and for her courage in standing up to what she calls “the betrayal of the poor” – an act that ultimately, in the two women’s eyes, is one premised on love. Here’s a carrot from one sister to another:
Love and courage are like two sides of the same coin. Without the courage to feel, we can never experience love. Similarly, without love, we lack the courage to live our lives in ways that remain true to our soul.
Finding and living one’s purpose often calls for courage to go against the grain. However, taking a stand against popular opinion and common practice can be nerve-racking because courage does not imply an absence of fear.
Fear is tightly woven in the words describing the life of a woman who, when called to order by Thabo Mbeki for asking questions about the arms deal in the African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary caucus , made a decision not to forget that the ANC is also for the poor, whose interests are as important as those who donate large sums of money to the party.
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