JM COETZEE - TWICE WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE and NOBEL LAURETE: “Gangat shows up
the cruelties and absurdities of apartheid in South Africa while celebrating friendship and simple human
decency.”
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GARETH CLIFF - RADIO/TELEVISION PERSONALITY: “The story of South Africa’s first diplomat of
colour is a riveting, charming story which reminds us of our past, gives expression to a time we tend to
review in black and white, and which brings personal experience to the roller-coaster ride of change.”
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JEFF MOLOI – TALK SHOW HOST ON ALGOA FM: “It is difficult to find words that adequately describe
the man Rafique Gangat…trail blazer, pioneer, rule changer… are all hopelessly inadequate. He bucked
against the system of apartheid in the most spectacular fashion, yet was never affiliated to any one
political group. His is a story that needs to be told, time and time again, for at the heart of every move he
makes is the enduring tenet that all human beings are equal and that ultimately, human kindness should
govern everything we do.”
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JENNY CRWYS-WILLIAMS - BOOK CRITIC ON KAYA FM: “An easy read, uncompromising told and
quite a few surprises and insights. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

LINDA CURLING – CAPE TIMES: It is immaterial whether Rafique Gangat’s name is familiar to readers
or not. His well-written ‘stories of a pioneering diplomat’ make for interesting and enlightening reading. His
anecdotes are to the point, giving insight into some of the duties he was required to perform. He reveals
his personal opinions of many local politicians, sometimes with less diplomacy than one would expect but
with dignity nonetheless.
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JANI ALLAN, former SUNDAY TIMES COLUMNIST: “This is the kind of book I want to have next to my
bed. He writes most engagingly.”
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CHARMAIN NADIOO - SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNALIST: “This compelling memoir is a collection of
vignettes about the senselessness of apartheid told with rancor, but with a wry self-deprecation and wit.
This is an important book that chronicles a very specific time in South African history through the
evocative memories of a young man embarking on his rite of passage journey to adulthood.”
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TIM COHEN - EDITOR-BUSINESS DAY: “Rafique’s personal narrative takes you on a heart-warming
journey through South Africa’s new-era diplomacy and beyond.”
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DONWALD PRESSLY - SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE CAPE TOWN PRESS CLUB: “Rafique tells a
compelling story of life in SA’s foreign service during and beyond apartheid, infused with a lot of cricket
and being ‘black’ in ‘white’ South Africa with all its bizarreness.”
 
LEON WESSELS, former DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS of SOUTH AFRICA: "What a
lovely story. Beautifully written. I really enjoyed reading it. We South Africans still have to learn a lot from
each other’s journeys. This is the future – exposing our pasts as we reach out towards the future."
 
DR. SAMED BULBULIA: “Your book was authentic, frank/candid, humorous, a creative
juxtaposition between the personal and the political, pleasant and pleasurable reading without
verbosity.”

PHILIP HALL, UK CONSUL GENERAL, JERUSALEM: “I've just finished reading your fascinating
autobiography. I've enjoyed it enormously, and found it a refreshing and stimulating read”