Allister Haddon Sparks was born on March 10, 1933, and died on September 19, 2016.

He was a South African writer, journalist and political commentator.

Sparks was the editor of The Rand Daily Mail when it broke Muldergate, the story of how the apartheid government secretly funded information projects.

Later, he wrote a number of critically acclaimed books on South Africa’s transition from apartheid, including The Mind of South Africa (1991), Tomorrow is Another Country (1996), and more recently Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa (University of Chicago Press 2006).

He also wrote the book First Drafts (2008).

He founded the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in South Africa and was its executive director from 1992 to 1997.

The IAJ focused on the education of African journalists and fostering better communication between professionals across the continent.

He was a Nieman Fellow from 1962-1963.

Allister Sparks won the Louis M. Lyons Award while with The Observer.

Allister Haddon Sparks passed away at 83 years old.