Masked Raiders

Masked Raiders follow the exploits of a band of Irish bandits who were responsible for a spate of crime across South Africa from 1880 to 1899. On the one hand, this is a story of bank heists, safe cracking, highway robbery, gold smuggling and prison breaks. On the other it is an insightful commentary on the society and ideology which shaped this group of Irish bandits. Charles Van Onselen, winner of the Alan Paton Award for non-fiction, looks at history from a different perspective as he tells the story of the mineral driven industrial revolution of the late 19th century in South Africa through the eyes of the underdog, rather than the powerful and the wealthy.