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‘P.K. van der Byl: African Statesman’ is the story of an extraordinary man who lived in an extraordinary country in extraordinary times. In the 21st Century the country of Zimbabwe has developed an unenviable reputation for what is wrong in some parts of Africa: dictatorship, corruption, political violence, hopelessness, chaos. But it was not always so; once the country was known as Rhodesia and was one of the wealthiest, best organised and most peaceful in Africa, with relatively high standards of health and education. The problem was that it was ruled by a white minority comprising less than 5% of the population, whilst the majority black population were to all intents and purposes excluded from the political process. The ‘Winds of Change’ swept through Africa in the early 1960’s; alarmed by what they saw, the Rhodesians decided to resist. Unable to reach agreement with Britain as the colonial power, Rhodesia declared UDI in 1965. Despite international sanctions, the Rhodesians proved resourceful and adept and initially the country prospered. However, a civil war ensued, eventually resulting in the election of Robert Mugabe in 1980 in a controversial election and modern Zimbabwe was born. As Defence Minister, P.K. van der Byl played a major role during that period, probably second only to Prime Minister Ian Smith. Once described as ‘a man calculated to offend’, he was a colourful character with outrageous mannerisms and opinions, much loved in Rhodesia but derided elsewhere. As he died in 1999, this book is based on interviews with those who knew him plus quotes from publications. Much personal information is anecdotal and in some areas quite light. However, it compensates by providing detail that is frequently shocking and surprising, such as Britain’s plans to invade in 1966 and Rhodesia’s sanctions-busting trade with its enemies. P.K. van der Byl was undoubtedly a man of principles - even if some of those principles may have been wrong – but it seems that many of the foreign politicians he was up against were not. This book helps shed light on the ongoing tragedy that is Zimbabwe, revealing that its history is more than the simplistic portrayal of Black versus White, and as such is recommended.Read full review