The ‘Arms Deal’ was never a single event. Rather, it was and still is a series of scandals and outrages, all contributing towards a dubious momentum that takes South Africa further away from democratic practice. This book, destined to explode onto the political landscape, will: -Seek to break open the guarded chest of State secrets, telling tales of outrageous personal enrichment. -Explore how the Arms Deal emerged out of the criminal networks of both the old SADF and the ANC’s security apparatus, raising questions as to whether South Africa’s remarkable transition was not oiled, at key points, by criminal intent and collusion. -Follow the trail of the various defence deals done after the Arms Deal – cumulatively worth just as much – and finds that corruption continues to impact on defence spending in South Africa. -Examine the economics. Not only was the Arms Deal economically irrational, but it was virtually suicidal, almost single-handedly derailing the postapartheid economic project. -Follow the rise of the shadow state, the politicisation of prosecutions, and the rise of the ‘spooks’.