Trevor Manual became South Africa's first black finance minister in 1996, a time when the economy threatened to spiral into a debt trap. It took five years before Manuel could present his first 'good news' Budget in Parliament. He described that Budget as a tale of 'irrevocable and powerful transformation', a tale of 'patience and obstinacy .. of determination and hope ... Of choice, not fate.' He could have been telling the tale of his own life.

by Pippa Green

Hardcover, 602 pages