On Monday 25 May 2026, Unisa Press launched Between Hope and Vigilance, a collection of essays by Mavuso Msimang, as part of the university’s Research and Innovation Week.

Unisa Press, the largest scholarly publisher in Africa, publishes highly original scholarly works that address topical issues affecting people on the African continent – issues that are increasingly gaining global relevance. Its books and journals raise global scholarly debates which resonate well beyond South Africa’s borders.

A voice of reason

"Mr Fix-It", as Msimang is popularly known, has a storied history as a liberation activist. In the civil society space, he is a former chairperson of Corruption Watch, a member of the Robben Island board, and a founding board member of Africa Peace Parks. In 2020, Unisa awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of a life devoted to service.

Msimang remains a widely respected and outspoken "voice of reason" on matters of national ethics, corruption and governance. Having previously served as the Deputy President of the ANC Veterans' League, he made headlines by painfully resigning from the ANC after 60 years of dedicated membership, citing as reason the ANC leadership's failure to curb internal corruption and enforce governance protocols. He continues to actively lecture and offer sharp commentary on state accountability, social justice and constitutional values.

About Between Hope and Vigilance

"Those in the ANC, and South Africans who are politically minded, would have read quite a few of the articles contained in this book," said Msimang at the launch. "Some of the articles were published in City Press, Daily Maverick and News24. I think the book gives us a balanced record of history, and the stubborn continuation of a problem that has existed for many years."

"I think there is relevance," he concluded, humble to a fault.

In this collection of fifty-four essays, Msimang charts the ANC’s journey from liberation movement to political party.  While many readers will have followed Msimang’s writing in major news publications, this is the first time his occasional writings have been collected in a single volume. 

Spanning a period of fifteen years, the book offers a contemporaneous account of the unfolding political story of South Africa. On the one hand, it charts the rise of corruption; on the other, it documents the equally compelling tale of South Africans’ fight to protect the nation’s integrity. Each essay seeks to understand who we are and where we are going as a nation.

Providing context at the launch were, from left: Dr Meiya Nthoesane, Director, Unisa Press, Hetta Pieterse, Commissioning Editor, Unisa Press, and Adv Sipho Mantula, Researcher, Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs

Honest, clear-eyed, and often humorous, Between Hope and Vigilance serves as a timely reminder of the values that defined the liberation movement. With equal parts empathy, rage and love, Msimang advocates for a return to these principles.  

As former Corruption Watch CEO David Lewis notes in the powerful concluding essay in this collection, the media headlines may have died down around many of the issues contained in this book. Still, it serves as an important archive that reminds us of the importance of speaking truth to power. 

Click here for more information on this and other Unisa Press publications.

* By Philip van der Merwe, Editor, Department of Institutional Advancement