"In a country such as ours with its myriad ethnic and race groups, one person’s holy cow is bound to be another’s T-bone steak ..."

Outspoken columnist Gareth van Onselen boldly tackles South Africa’s holy cows, those touchy subjects we hesitate to mention by name for fear of offence or being misunderstood.

Incisive and witty, this book exposes the strange contradictions and ambiguities at the heart of South African society. Van Onselen identifies the many ways in which cultural practice or belief fly in the face of our much vaunted constitution. For instance, can lobola be reconciled with equal rights? And why are initiation rites, practiced not only by cultural groups, but also in university residences and by the Springbok rugby team, still accepted when they often lead to death or injury?

He mocks political correctness, dissects the booming business of death, superstition and witchcraft, and bemoans the growing influence of religion in politics.

Fiercely liberal and committed to constitutional values, Van Onselen will make you question accepted practices and see the absurdity of what passes for just another day in South Africa.

Holy Cows is published by Tafelberg