Being There: Backstories from the Political Front

‘On Sunday 2 June 2024, I received a phone call that propelled me again into the swirl of a political drama, with plenty of subplots and prima donnas and lesser villains. In just four weeks, it changed the course of the country.’

In Being There, Tony Leon goes behind the scenes, reflecting on how history is made, both here and around the world, through his unique mixture of anecdote and informed opinion. His vantage point ranges from a ringside seat in the formation of the government of national unity (GNU) – recounted in detail here for the first time – to close encounters with the likes of Harry Oppenheimer, Yasser Arafat and Boris Johnson, and reappraisals of FW de Klerk, Nelson Mandela and Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Leon writes of the dangers of modern politics, from the purgatory of social media to the perils of political fundraising in tough times. The challenge of leadership, in a world often led by populist grifters, runs like a golden thread through the book. Leon reflects on the nostalgia we often feel, through pain and pride, for childhood and schooldays, and the many ‘what-ifs’ that inform a well-lived and varied life on the frontlines of South Africa. Written with his customary blend of humour and flair, and with an eye to the future and what the present and the past can tell us about it, Being There is both important and highly readable