Mosibudi Mangena has been a life-long member of the Black Consciousness Movement, which led to his incarceration on Robben Island from 1973–8. After his release, he went into exile in 1981, spending time in Botswana and Zimbabwe, before returning to South Africa in 1994.

Triumphs & Heartaches provides fascinating insight into Mangena’s varied life, including his time as the leader of AZAPO and his service in government as the deputy minister of Education and then the minister of Science and Technology.

Mangena provides an insider’s view of life in exile as a political refugee, followed by the hardships of repatriation and the hard-won successes of democracy. He reflects eloquently on the role of Black Consciousness and its potential place in the future of South Africa, and does not flinch from exploring the disappointments of the liberation struggle and the challenges that lie ahead for the country.

Steve Biko, the founder of the Black Consciousness philosophy, was killed in prison on 12 September 1977. Biko was only thirty years old, but his ideas and political activities changed the course of South African history and helped hasten the end of apartheid. The year 2007 saw the thirtieth anniversary of Biko's death. To mark the occasion, the then Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Mosibudi Mangena, commissioned Chris van Wyk to compile an anthology of essays as a tribute to the great South African son. Among the contributors are Minister Mangena himself, ex-President Thabo Mbeki, writer Darryl Accone, journalists Lizeka Mda and Bokwe Mafuna, academics Jonathan Jansen, Mandla Seleoane and Saths Cooper, a friend of Biko's and former president of Azapo. We Write What We Like proudly echoes the title of Biko's seminal work, I Write What I Like. It is a gift to a new generation which enjoys freedom, from one that was there when this freedom was being fought for. And it celebrates the man whose legacy is the freedom to think and say and write what we like.

Footprints is a captivating story about intellectual property (IP). It speaks to its role in society, trade, industry, and economy and expounds on the actual meaning of IP. The book lays a solid foundation for innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses, and nations to realise their full potential through IP policy, legislation, use and practices.

McLean Sibanda shares his personal story, together with stories and testimonies of fellow travellers, taking us through their journey into the field of IP. He meticulously recounts South Africa’s path in transforming the management of IP emanating from publicly financed research and development (R&D), development of critical human capital and other infrastructure to ensure effective IP commercialisation and technology transfer.

Footprints is a timely masterpiece given IP issues in Africa’s scramble for Covid-19 vaccines and implementation of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The book provides strategies of how African countries can use IP and innovation to develop industries to ensure health security and trading of goods that can benefit from the AfCFTA. Narrated through a series of significant moments, Footprints demonstrates the importance of vision, solid foundation, collaboration, champions, and intentional steps, for economic transformation. With glimpses into how countries such as China and Korea used IP to develop their economies, this book makes a compelling case for embracing IP, increased R&D investment, relevant human capital, and appropriate use of IP, in the development of new products and services necessary for knowledge-based and industrialised economies.

Footprints is a must-read for any academic, aspiring intellectual property scholar, policy maker, economist, development activist, entrepreneur, researcher, innovator, professional, and technology transfer specialist.

South Africa is in dire straits. Our economy is stagnant, unemployment is dangerously high and most State-Owned Enterprises are near collapse. Mosibudi Mangena, former Minister of Science of Technology (2004–2009) and former President of AZAPO, believes that South Africa can change.

He calls on Black Consciousness philosophy, and for us to unshackle ourselves from inferiority complexes produced by living for centuries under colonialism and apartheid, to do so.

He analyses various spheres of our lives, such as the poor health, education and transport systems; the mismanagement and looting of State-Owned Enterprises; the careless management of crime, particularly the insecurity of women and children in our society; as well as the neglect of our languages, the arts and culture and provides practical solutions and ways to implement changes.