Nathan Geffen gives an insider’s account of how the TAC struggled to expose the falsehood of quacks like Dr Matthias Rath and Zeblon Gwala that lay claim to the lives of many living with HIV; the story of how TAC member, Andile Madondile almost died because of the erroneous remedies that he took having been deceived into thinking they would help and ultimately the greatest of the TAC’s obstacles, the infamous state-supported denialism of Thabo Mbeki and Manto Shabalala-Msimang.
Geffen describes not only the TAC’s response to the puzzling intransigence of government and the spellbinding nonsense of dissidents, but the thought, strategy and discussion that lay behind the organisation’s major decisions. The story of the TAC’s campaign is one of the great triumphs of citizen activism for social justice and human rights.
“Between these covers you will find all the passion and intelligence Nathan Geffen devoted to the fight against quackery in South Africa. The Mbeki government’s march of folly is fully exposed here. One hopes that this book will serve, not only as a record, but as a lesson.” – Jonny Steinberg
“An intellectually incisive, engagingly written history of a policy calamity – and the courageous activism it unleashed – that has important implications for our country’s understanding of its past, as well as its future course.” – Edwin Cameron
