Corruption in South Africa is nothing new. Rogues' Gallery shows that dodgy dealings have always been a national pastime, under Dutch, British, and apartheid rule.
Engagingly written and meticulously researched, Legends tells the stories of a dozen remarkable people – some well known, others largely forgotten – who changed South Africa for the better.
"If you paid even a moment's attention during high-school history lessons, you probably know that 1910 brought about the Union of South Africa, that the 1948 general election ushered in apartheid, and that the Rainbow Nation was born when Madiba triumphed in the country's first democratic elections in 1994. Spoilt Ballots dishes the dirt on these pivotal events in our history. But it also sheds light on a dozen lesser-known contests, starting with the assassination of King Shaka in 1828 and ending with the anointing of President Cyril at Nasrec in 2017. Spoilt Ballots is as much about the people who voted in some of our most decisive elections as it is about those who didn't get to make their mark. It explains why a black man in the Cape had more political rights in 1854 than at any other point in the ensuing 140 years and how the enfranchisement of women in 1930 was actually a step back for democracy."-- Back cover