The journey to Wankie: a biography of James April

Abstract

James April, [hereafter referred to as April] was a member of the ANC's military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe [otherwise referred to as MK. What might have seemed unusual to the court that day, and to many onlookers, was the fact that he was a "Cape Coloured" man espousing his allegiance to the ANC and praising it as" ... the spirit of the African people". April and Basil February Chis close friend and comrade] were among the first non-African people to join MK thereby recognising the common destiny of all black people. In part,to tell April's [and Basil February's] story is to explore from an individual perspective the capacity and ability of people to overcome their socialisation, and to rise above conformity and social restrictions. Most of all, April's story is of an activist whose political involvement led him to realise the inevitability and necessity of armed struggle. Furthermore, it is the story of the commitment of his life to this very armed struggle.