Pirates of Polokwane by Zapiro

Pirates of Polokwane (Zapiro's Polokwane-Era Political Cartoons)

Zapiro's Satirical Record of the Zuma-Mbeki Struggle at Polokwane and the Political Turmoil of 2007 to 2008

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Pirates of Polokwane: Cartoons from Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times, and Independent Newspapers
• Author: Zapiro
• Publisher: Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd, Auckland Park, South Africa
• Publication Date: 2008
• ISBN-13: 9781770095984
• Edition Details: First published 2008 by Jacana Media. Softcover.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated glossy card wrappers, perfect bound, landscape format, grey spine.
• Physical Format: Landscape softcover, 134 pages. Illustrated throughout with black and white cartoon reproductions, each dated with a short caption.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Wraps: The glossy illustrated card wrappers are clean and bright on both front and back covers. The grey spine is straight and free of visible creasing, and the corners and edges are sharp. A small sticker or imprint sits at the foot of the spine.
• Interior: The pages are clean, white to cream, and free of foxing, markings or inscriptions. The binding is tight. A clean, collectible copy.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Pirates of Polokwane gathers Zapiro's editorial cartoons from the Mail & Guardian, Sunday Times and Independent newspapers. It is the thirteenth annual collection of his work. Each cartoon carries a date and a short caption, so the book reads as a running commentary on the political events of the period.

The title refers to the December 2007 ANC National Conference at Polokwane, where Jacob Zuma defeated the incumbent Thabo Mbeki for the party presidency. Zapiro's nickname for Zuma's supporters, the Pirates of Polokwane, gave the volume its name. The collection follows the events surrounding that conference through 2007 and 2008.

The back cover carries a comment from Anton Harber on the Lady Justice cartoon, a list of earlier Zapiro collections and a note on the cartoonist's 2008 awards. The book has been cited in academic writing on caricatures of Zuma, and it remains a vivid visual record of a turning point in post-apartheid politics, of interest to collectors of South African political satire and modern political history.

Author Profile: Zapiro (Jonathan Shapiro)

Jonathan Shapiro, known as Zapiro, was born in Cape Town in 1958. He studied architecture and graphic design before being conscripted, refused to bear arms, and became active in the United Democratic Front. He designed the logo of the End Conscription Campaign and held a Fulbright scholarship to study in New York.

He has been editorial cartoonist for the Mail & Guardian since 1994 and the Sunday Times since 1998, and worked at the Sowetan from 1994 to 2005. He won Best Humorist Cartoon at the 2008 South African Cartoonists Awards. His other books include Long Walk to Free Time (2004), Da Zuma Code (2006) and VuvuzelaNation (2013).