Chris Hani is remembered as the fearless guerrilla commander, communist leader and revolutionary whose assassination changed the course of South African history. But behind the public icon was a son, husband, father, intellectual, mentor and friend whose life has never before been explored with such depth and intimacy.

Drawing on years of research and extensive interviews with family members, comrades-in-arms and political contemporaries, acclaimed writer Zakes Mda offers the most complete portrait yet of one of South Africa’s most admired – and contested – freedom fighters. Tracing Hani’s childhood in rural Cofimvaba, his political awakening, his battlefield experience in the Wankie Campaign, his challenge to the ANC leadership, his work directing underground operations from Lesotho and elsewhere, and the turbulent final years of apartheid, the biography tells the story of an extraordinary individual and of a nation fighting for freedom.

Mda moves beyond myth to reveal the contradictions, sacrifices and relationships that shaped Hani’s life, exploring his unwavering commitment to justice alongside his deep devotion to family and comrades.

Richly researched and compellingly written, Chris Hani: A Life of Courage and Compassion reveals why, more than three decades after his death, Hani remains one of South Africa’s most admired, compelling and consequential political figures.