Autobiography of Oupa Joshua Gqozo

This book talks about the history of the author. It starts when he was born, when his mother passed away and talks about his life with his Grandfather who raised him in the Polokwane Province. He was hard worker, he digged out huge trees and he ploughed mielies, pumpkins, beans, potatoes and peanuts. The author was the youngest of five siblings. His sister was three years older than him. The other three were adopted by his grandparents. When he got older, he learned everything that was done on a farm, looked after domestic animals, ploughed and harvested. They sold every extra produce to their neighbours. When he was five years old, he cried to go to school, that is why he went to school at an early age. He attended three schools up to Matric. The first School taught him a North Sotho Language, which was called Pedi in the North Transvaal at the time. The second School was a Primary School which taught him Tswana Language. His High School taught him South Sotho, in Kroonstad. After Matric, he started to work as a waiter then, in a Super Market Store, where he learned how to take stock and store it and make book work for the Company.

The next work was in a meal Company in Kroonstad until he was employed at the Prison Department. As a hard worker, he excelled and got promoted up to leadership as an Instructor at the Baviaanspoort Training College.Afterwards, he was selected by the Army officials who were looking for Instructors to train the soldiers at the Army Training College in 21BN, Lenasia. He was one of the elected who went to the South African Defence Force. In the Army, he was an Infantry foot soldier. He was trained to go to the border War in the territory of the North West of South Africa and South West of Angola. After returning from the border, he was transferred to the Separate Development Country which was called Ciskei Bantustan. He excelled in all his duties until he was voted unanimously to be the President of that Home-land, Ciskei, after the Army overthrew President L.L. W Sebe. From that moment he became what he was never trained for, a politician, a diplomat, and an enforcer of the Law. Violence was so serious that his Country was on the edge of Civil War. There was the negotiation table, Codesa, the Bisho Massacre, the TRC and the Elections which led to Mr Nelson Mandela becoming the first black President of South Africa.