Pretoria Will Provide and Other Myths by Clem Sunter

Pretoria Will Provide and Other Myths is a collection of short essays by Clem Sunter, illustrated with line drawings by his wife Margaret Sunter. This is the first edition, first impression, published jointly in 1993 by Tafelberg Publishers Ltd and Human & Rousseau (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town, in paperback.

Pretoria Will Provide takes a sample of the statements and implicit beliefs that South Africans accept at face value, from the idea that government will provide to notions such as “crime doesn’t pay”, “hand-outs work” and “South Africa is second-rate”, and argues in brief, pointed and frequently humorous pieces that the truth is quite different from the orthodox view. Margaret Sunter’s playful drawings run through the text.

At the time of writing Clem Sunter was Chairman of the Gold and Uranium Division of Anglo American Corporation and head of its scenario planning, the work that made him one of South Africa’s best-known commentators on the country’s future. Published on the eve of the 1994 transition, Pretoria Will Provide and Other Myths is a lively snapshot of the debates of that period.

Pretoria Will Provide will appeal to readers of Clem Sunter’s scenario-planning titles, collectors of South African political and economic writing from the transition years, and anyone interested in South African history of the early 1990s.

Condition – Very Good

Paperback in illustrated white card covers. The covers show light dust soiling and a few small marks, with light wear to the edges. The text block is sound, with a few small spots to the preliminary pages; internally otherwise clean and in good order. A very good copy of the first impression.