Presenting a superb account of a man characterized by his reticence, this biography offers a rare and thorough insight into the life of one of South Africa's most powerful: Kgalema Motlanthe. From Motlanthe's ancestral family to his political awakenings as he discovered the African National Congress, this account traces Motlanthe's political path to become the third President of the Republic of South Africa. With impeccable timing and a real sense of history, this book contains wide-ranging interviews with Motlanthe himself as well as with family members, friends, comrades, and leading figures in political organizations, civil society, academia, and the media. Unsparing in its scope, detailed in its revelations, and with a rigorously critical analysis, it will reveal not only the complex politician, but also the very human nature of the man.