About the Author

Fr Patrick Noonan is a Franciscan priest working in the Archdiocese of Johannesburg.

Born in Ireland, Patrick Noonan has lived and worked in the black townships south of Johannesburg since 1970 and was still there when his area – known as the Vaal Triangle – exploded in anti-apartheid rage in the latter half of 1984. It was the uprising that signaled the beginning of the end of apartheid and led to the release of Nelson Mandela.

He speaks the African language of his area (i.e. Sotho) fluently, with a working knowledge of Zulu. He is a priest of the international Franciscan movement and has written many articles for church magazines and newspapers.