Alan Paton is one of South Africa's most celebrated authors. His most renowned novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country', which was published in 1948 is still in print. Paton was a founding member of the Liberal Party and was much involved in South African politics and efforts at social reform. In 1953, he went on to lead the party. Paton often felt divided in his calling, and he is quoted as saying "My whole life has been a struggle between the writer and the activist, and it has not stopped" In April 1988, Paton was diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the throat. He died in Durban on 12 April 1988. 
References

The New York Times,"Alan Paton, Author And Apartheid Foe, Dies of Cancer at 85",From: The New York Times,[Online],Available at: www.nytimes.com,[Accessed on:08 April 2014]|Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.