Penguin Random House invite you to the launch of Death in Pretoria: Untold Stories of Political Activists Executed During Apartheid by Peter Auf der Heyde.

Between 1960 and 1989 in South Africa, more than 130 people were executed for crimes that had a political motive. Who were they, what did they do, and why did they do it?

While many people have heard of Solomon Mahlangu, John Harris or even Vuyisile Mini, the vast majority of executed activists remain very much unknown, even though they paid the ultimate price for their actions.

This book tells their stories, drawing on the author’s interviews with fellow activists, the families left behind, lawyers on both sides, judges who passed sentence, warders on death row, and even functionaries tasked with informing the condemned of their impending fate.

In the process, the book sheds light on forgotten aspects of South African history, such as the actions of the PAC/Poqo in the 1960s, which resulted in dozens of executions, and people who heeded the ANC’s call to make the country ungovernable in the 1980s and who were then disowned by the organisation. The book also makes startling revelations about miscarriages of justice, defence attorneys working against their clients, and, sadly, the post-apartheid state’s neglect of those who suffered as a result of political executions.

Event details

Date: Wednesday 20 August 2025
Time: 18:00 for 18:30
Venue: Exclusive Books Brooklyn Mall, 338 Bronkhorst St, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria
RSVP: Exclusive Books website

Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags Book events Book launches Death in Pretoria Penguin Random House SA Peter Auf der Heyde Pretoria