Thank you, Judge Mostert!

Anton Mostert was one of South Africa’s youngest judges when he was appointed to head a commission of inquiry into exchange control regulations in 1978. His inquiry, seemingly innocuous, unearthed what was at that time the greatest political scandal in the country’s history – massive corruption in the department of information. In defiance of warnings by Prime Minister PW Botha not to disclose his findings, Mostert released all the evidence that had been led before him, exposing some of the most powerful men in the country and effectively changing history. The title of this book, Thank You, Judge Mostert! is taken from the inscription which appeared overnight on bumper stickers all over South Africa in the weeks following Judge Anton Mostert’s revelations of the Information Scandal. This overt, spontaneous outburst of public appreciation and support requires history to be retold – for this is the story of a principled and courageous judge who not only fiercely fought for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law in South Africa, but who also fearlessly confronted the Afrikaner executive at a critical juncture in South Africa’s history.