Last night at the book launch, Matthew Marais gave a short but powerful speech that left all of us choked up. It was extremely courageous for him to stand before all those that had gathered and open his heart. In light of all he has lost in life (both parents and a younger brother on Nov. 25th 1987) and what was behind their deaths, the content of his message was not only powerful, it was profound...

Saving Zimbabwe tells a story, but the impact of the book extends far beyond the story. This book is not a book for Zimbabweans only, this is also a book for South Africans. It is a story of forgiveness. The principles in this book can go a long way to breaking down racial boundaries and to removing the racial screens through which South Africans see each other. There is a very dark yet important story that is told in this book, and I am glad that Bob has told it. It needed to be said, and Bob is the only one who could have done it.

For me, this book is the curtain raiser, for this book points to something very profound, yet ordinary. Something tragic happened many years ago, and one of the many drivers behind the tragedy was inter-racial hatred. Today, this story would be used by the press to compound fears that the racial divides in our society are expanding. It would be likened to stories paralleling Eugene Tereblanche, and Julius Malema and all who read it would feel a fearful tightening in their stomachs.

The most amazing thing that this book shows is that something else is at play in our society, and it is surprisingly ordinary. Many lives were changed in that one event over 20 years ago. Lives of families, survivors, communities involved in the farm, the lives of the Zimbabwean people and countless others. There have been many events like it since. Events that have left millions of South African and Zimbabwean people with scars and ideas of revenge. If you take a look into the lives of people affected by the farm tragedy you will see that there is a profound normality. These were people who lived free of racial hatred with no sense of entitlement to compensation for their suffering. These were people who built relationships with no racial screens, they treated humans with respect and they were not violent or filled with hatred. In all ways they contribute to the improvement of society, and they wanted nothing more than to get on with their lives, and leave things better than they found them. No hatred has been perpetuated by those affected in the farm tragedy over 20 years ago. This is profound. This is a story of forgiveness.

I believe we are representative of the great majority of people in South Africa and Zimbabwe and my hope for this story is that it works against the news that is spreading in society today. Forgiveness and peace don’t make news often, so we ourselves need to take these messages to everyone in our country. Forgiveness and peace don’t sell newspapers, so we need a lot more of it to work against the forces tearing up our society. My hope for this book is that it spreads the message of forgiveness and peace.