Lifting the veil on MK special ops

BOOK LAUNCH

- SIPHO JACK

FOR more than three decades, the intriguing saga of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Special Operations Unit has been overshadowed, largely undocumented in the annals of South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

That was until now. Former MK member and cabinet executive Yunus Carrim is set to shed light on the machinations and manoeuvres of the MK with the launch of his new book, Attacking the Heart of Apartheid: The ANC’s MK Special Operations Unit, published by Penguin Random House South Africa.

The third launch of Carrim’s book took place over the weekend at the Natal Command in Durban, a venue deliberately chosen for its symbolism of apartheid’s brutal repression. Previous launches were held in Cape Town (22 July) and at Exclusive Books, Johannesburg on 21 August.

The elite unit, founded under the command of ANC President Oliver Tambo and prominent leaders like Joe Slovo, executed some of the most daring operations aimed at dismantling the apartheid regime, including attacks on strategic military and economic targets such as Sasol, Koeberg, and Voortrekkerhoogte.