Number 43 Trelawney Park KwaMagogo by Elias Masilela

Number 43 Trelawney Park KwaMagogo by Elias Masilela offers a deeply personal perspective on the anti-apartheid struggle, focusing on a modest family home in Manzini, Swaziland, that became an important refuge and base for South African liberation activists. Published by David Philip in 2007, this 227-page work tells the story of the Masilela family and the remarkable role played by Rebecca Makgomo Masilela, known as uMagogo, whose home sheltered and supported ANC and PAC cadres during the years of apartheid.

The house at Number 43 Trelawney Park became known as KwaMagogo, meaning “place of the grandmother”, after the author’s mother. Far from being simply a family residence, it became a safe house, meeting place and operational base for people involved in the liberation struggle. Number 43 Trelawney Park KwaMagogo records the experiences of those who passed through its doors and provides an intimate view of life in exile, focusing on the people and personal relationships behind the broader political history.

Masilela writes from the perspective of someone who grew up surrounded by events whose full significance he only came to understand later. This gives the narrative an unusually human quality, combining family memories with the experiences of political activists. Number 43 Trelawney Park KwaMagogo includes accounts involving approximately 25 ANC and PAC members, including figures such as John Nkadimeng, Siphiwe Nyanda and others who later became prominent in South African public life.

The history also reaches into some of the darker aspects of the struggle. Masilela discusses the activities of apartheid-era security operatives, including Eugene de Kock, Craig Williamson and Dirk Coetzee, as well as the defection of Glory September, which contributed to a period of intense danger for activists in Swaziland. The book therefore provides valuable insight into the complex relationship between South African liberation movements, exile communities and the security apparatus of apartheid.

Number 43 Trelawney Park KwaMagogo is an important addition to collections focusing on South African history, apartheid, the African National Congress, political exile and the liberation struggle. Its strength lies not only in documenting political events but in preserving the memory of an ordinary home and the family whose hospitality helped sustain people working towards a free South Africa.

Condition: Near fine – Minimal shelf wear present.