Allister Sparks: A fighter for justice in South Africa

WITH the death of Allister Sparks on September 19th in Johannesburg at the age of 83, South Africa mourns the passing of one of its most fearless, dogged and influential liberal journalists. A relentless critic of apartheid from the moment it was formally enacted in 1948, when he was but a boy, Mr Sparks never stopped telling truth to power, even after democracy was achieved in 1994. He remained a thorn in the flesh of governments until weeks before his death.