Khabzela: The life and times of a South African - Softcover

McGregor, Liz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1770090800 ISBN 13: 9781770090804

Publisher: Jacana Media, 2005

Synopsis

"Khabzela" by Liz McGregor, concerns the brief life and perplexing death of Fana Khaba, a.k.a. Khabzela, a youth icon whose brief life mirrors that of the first generation to reach adulthood after liberation. Born and brought up in dire poverty in Soweto, he managed against all the odds to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a DJ. No sooner had he achieved this, than he fell ill with AIDS. The central question of this timely and astonishing book is: why didn't he take anti- retrovirals and save his own life? Liz McGregor's search for an answer takes the reader on a journey through modern South Africa; the taxi wars and the birth of the kwaito generation, the negotiation of sexual relations in a world where sex can mean death and the flourishing of a new industry of miracle-peddlers feeding off the AIDS epidemic. Edwin Cameron, author of "Witness to Aids", comments: "Liz McGregor's account of the choices and circumstances that caused this talented and visionary young man to die, when he could have had life, is riveting and deeply moving".

About this title

Review:

"It was a heartbreaking day when Khabzela died of AIDS, nonetheless, this book about his agonising death will help to create further consciousness regarding HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa. What saddens me is that it had to be my buddy Khabzela to die in this way. Rest in peace, Khabzela." --Ashifashaba, DJ, Yfm

"Liz McGregor's account of the choices and circumstances that caused this talented and visionary young man to die, when he could have had life, is riveting and deeply moving." --Edwin Cameron, author, Witness to AIDS

"Through the compelling story of one remarkable life, this book carefully probes the complexity of South Africa's agonizing struggle to combat AIDS. It will open minds to many of the issues, from the personal to the political, which are at the heart of the crisis triggered by this disease. It is a deeply thought-provoking glimpse of how a country lives with AIDS." --Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian

About the Author:

Liz McGregor recently returned to South Africa after 17 years abroad, including two years working as a freelance foreign correspondent in South Korea and 13 years as a staff journalist on the Guardian, where she was deputy editor of the Comment and Analysis pages.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jacana Media
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1770090800
• ISBN 13: 9781770090804
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 252