Die Potlooddief Se Bruid En Ander Stories, a collection of columns by Keina Swart, is the result of different journeys, of her heart, mind and imagination, and adventurous explorations of places far and near.

She writes about the people closest to her – the men, women and children of her heart – and explores the soul of South Africa and its unique stories.

Gedigte met ongewone benaderings wat op mekaar inspeel.

Insigte in ‘n wye reeks onderwerpe. Verskeie terreine vir die eerste keer in Afrikaans ontgin.

Dit sal ‘n leser verryk en genot verskaf.

Jy voel al so lank moeg, tam, lam en futloos dat jy nie eers meer besef hoe gedaan jy is nie. Of jy sukkel oor en oor om dieselfde paar kilogramme af te skud - en dikwels kom daar net nog by. Niks werk nie! En die kere wanneer dit wel werk, is dit net as jy streng by die voorskrifte hou, want sodra jy weer begin "normaal" eet, keer dinge maar net weer terug na waar dit voorheen was. Jy is nie siek nie, het nie 'n koors nie, bloedtoetse wys nie abnormaliteite nie en daarom kry jou dokter Niks verkeerd nie ... nog nie. Jy kan ook niks daaromtrent verander nie want jy weet nie wat dit is wat jy moet verander nie. Kan dit so ingewikkeld wees?

Hierdie versameling van 108 oorsponklike gedigte, 24 monoloë en 20 samesprake volg op die baie suksesvolle eerste titel in die reeks en is weereens perfek geskik vir laerskoolleerders. Elkeen van hierdie werke het die potensiaal om die hoogste punte by 'n eisteddfod te verwerf. Louise Lachenicht se riglyne vir ouers, onderwysers en afrigters - met 'n fokus op gedramatiseerde poësie - verseker dat elke deelnemer hul beste werk kan lewer. 

What does it take to win gold at the Olympic Games? How many years of hard work and dedication does it take to prepare for such a feat? How many disappointments do you have to endure on this journey?

Danielle Brittain has walked this journey over and over again – her two sons won Olympic gold for South Africa in rowing, all four of her sons have rowed at top levels, and she is currently the team doctor for the SA rowing team. Danielle has faced her own battles with cancer and then watched as her son battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during his Olympic training and overcame it and went on to win gold after his recovery in this high-performance sport.

The Olympic wins for the South African teams at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics were iconic moments for South Africa and Brittain’s descriptions of what the wins meant for the individuals in the teams, their families, the coaching staff and ordinary South Africans demonstrates the power of sport to unite the country.

A rowing story, a family story, a cancer survival story, a South African story – and the story of a mother watching it all unfold.

Navigating motherhood from the age of 18, Kim Stephens shelved her inner journo and embraced a life of media sales and sports marketing, working with some of the biggest sports brands globally, and locally, whilst pursuing her own ultra-running ambitions.

Arguing vehemently against the possibility that she was running from her own truth, Covid-19 wiped out Kim’s possibilities for continued escape. After three children, two divorces and a gradual sexual awakening, Kim found herself at 40-something virtually unemployed, with all the time in the world to write, sip gin and study a general response to one of the world’s most draconian lockdowns. Her humorous observations of middle-class South African behaviour through the various levels of lockdown earned her a certain notoriety and a degree of viral success, and with that the courage to put it all into a book.

Hold the Line tells the story of teenage pregnancy, the situational blindness of white South Africa, the disappointment of divorce and the deep joy found through true awakening. Stitched together with the lockdown writing that Kim penned for a growing base of followers, she shares a more in-depth life story with her usual candid self-deprecation.

Written to rattle a few truths from within its readers, Hold the Line ends ironically as the world begins to follow a potential third World War via TikTok.

Reggie Peace was 13 jaar oud toe hy by die kinderhuis se voordeur gaan aanklop het. Die kinderhuis bied hom stabiliteit en gou begin Reggie presteer. Maar hy bly ontevrede met homself - hy sug voordurend na erkenning en aanvaarding. Tot hy besef dat hy ʼn keuse het: Kies die lewe, óf kies ’n stadige dood. Reggie se verhaal is een van hoop. Sy storie is een van swaarky, maar ook van uitdagings wat oorkom kan word en hoe om met Christus aan jou sy sterker anderkant uit te kom.

Leiers kan nie op hulle eie die leierskapspad kan aandurf nie. Hulle het wysheid, perspektief, insig en liefde nodig. Hierdie boek illustreer op 'n praktiese manier hoe tydlose beginsels en waardes steeds toepaslik is in die ongenaakbare sakewêreld en dat indien hierdie waardes die onderbou van 'n besigheid se kultuur verteenwoordig, die kans op volhoubare sukses soveel groter is. Hierdie boek bevat ook gevallestudies wat die voordele van beginselvaste, waardegebaseerde leierskap uitbeeld.

Indigenous societies that are steeped in patriarchy have various channels through which they deal with abusive characteristics of relations in some of these communities. One such route is through songs, which sanction women to voice that which, bound by societal expectations, they would not normally be able to say. This book focuses on the nature of women’s contemporary songs in the rural community of Zwelibomvu, near Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal. It aims to answer the question ‘Bahlabelelelani – Why do they sing?’, drawing on a variety of discourses of gender and power to examine the content and purposes of the songs.

Restricted by the custom of hlonipha, women resort to allusive language, such as is found in ukushoza, a song genre that includes poetic elements and solo dance songs. Other contexts include women’s social events, such as ilima, which refers to the collective activity that takes place when a group of women come together to assist another woman to complete a task that is typically carried out by women. During umgcagco (traditional weddings) and umemulo (girls’ coming-of-age ceremonies), songs befitting the occasion are performed. And neighbouring communities come together at amacece to perform according to izigodi (districts), where local maskandi women groups may be found performing for a goat or cow stake.

The songs, when read in conjunction with the interviews and focus group discussions, present a complex picture of women’s lives in contemporary rural KwaZulu-Natal, and they offer their own commentary on what it means to be a woman in this society.

The Real Meal Revolution was all about taking on the global obesity epidemic with a revolutionary approach to eating; it challenged ingrained beliefs, it sold (and still sells) in record-breaking numbers throughout South Africa, and it changed people’s lives.

With Raising Superheroes, the authors have now set out to revolutionise the way we feed our children. It’s time, they believe, to challenge the kids’ food industry and our old assumptions; it’s time to give our children the best nutrition possible, and the best start in life.

Raising Superheroes is not a Banting cookbook, and it doesn’t offer no-carb eating for kids. But – in advocating low-sugar, low-refined-carb, “real” food eating – it is the Real Meal Revolution’s next step towards changing the world.

Is Jesus regtig wie Hy gesê het Hy is? Die dilemma waarmee die gemeente in Kolosse geworstel het, eggo vandag nog in die kerk en wêreld.

In Kolossense – ’n Bybelstudie ondersoek Riekert Botha die identiteit van Christus in ’n vers-vir-vers-bespreking van die Bybelboek Kolossense. Paulus het aan die gemeente in Kolosse geskryf om die waarheid omtrent Jesus Christus te bevestig sodat hulle enige misleiding deur vals leraars sou kon herken. Die 8 studies gee agtergrond oor Paulus se verhouding met die gemeente, asook die redes vir sy brief aan hulle. Elke hoofstuk eindig met vrae en aan die einde van die Bybelstudie is daar ’n diagram om meer as 25 eienskappe van Jesus wat in die brief voorkom, in te vul. Daar is ook ’n blokkiesraaisel met die name van die persone wat in die brief genoem word. Hierdie Bybelstudie is vir groepe of individue.

• 8 Studies oor die identiteit van Jesus Christus vir groepe en individue.
• ’n Vers-vir-vers-bespreking van die Bybelboek Kolossense met besprekingsvrae en plek om antwoorde neer te skryf.
• Sluit ’n diagram in waarop die 25 eienskappe wat Christus se identiteit beskryf, ingevul kan word, asook ’n blokkiesraaisel oor die name van die persone wat in die brief genoem word.
• Skrywer van die bekende Pleisters vir die siel-reeks.
• Hersiene uitgawe met nuwe buiteblad.

If this book saves just one person’s life, Leo Prinsloo will be happy.

Leo became an internet sensation after footage of his reaction to an attempted high-value goods-in-transit heist went viral. Stunned by his cool attitude and focused action in a crisis situation, South Africans had an example of what can happen when good people take a stand. With decades of experience in security – first as a policeman, then in the South African Police Service’s Special Task Force, and now providing arms handling and security training in the private sector – Leo has a wealth of knowledge on how to manage life-threatening incidents.

Driven by a desire to empower South Africans and help them claim back their sense of safety, he offers advice for dealing with every risky situation, from how to handle hijackings and road rage, to how to keep your children safe, to the best way to secure your home and business. He also provides comprehensive information about handling firearms and basic first aid.

Leo’s Guide to Not Becoming a Statistic is a guide to living your safest life in South Africa – something which has become increasingly important as our crime statistics continue to rise. Straight-talking and honest – much like Leo himself – it is an easy to use manual that makes keeping safe accessible, with relatable information and easy to implement tips.

Leo says that taking the first step towards securing your safety is the most important, and his book will help you take that step.

We live in a world that demands perfection. Big data, analytics, trend lines and averages bind us to a set of norms and values that assign a numeric worth to who we are and what we are capable of. Should we not meet established milestones or targets, not conform to the appropriate curve, or fail to live up to pre-established societal expectations, we invariably experience a sense of personal failure, worthlessness and fears and anxiety about a tenuous future. Added to this is the struggle with growing poverty and widening gaps in inequality, fractured family units, chronic stress and mental health challenges overlaid with the uncertainty and complexity of a rapidly changing world.

Yet, in truth it doesn't matter where we come from and what our historic circumstances and achievements might be. We are all capable of extraordinary lives and should not be bound by limitations, whether self-imposed or from external sources. What can unlock our fullest potential is resilience, a consummate skill that can be developed and grown throughout our lives. This reality is echoed by the likes of Albert Einstein, Oprah Winfrey, JK Rowling, Billy Jean King and Siya Kolisi, who all struggled in some way or another and overcame the restraints of their circumstances through resilience in various forms.

In addition, many resilience 'lessons' and how these are applicable to everyday life are taken from a fusion of cutting-edge science and learnings from some of the most recognizable figures in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan, Martina Navratilova and Novak Djokovic.

Thrive is a resilience manual, a practical, step-by-step guide to help you realise your fullest potential.

As the coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe in recent months, many countries have had to implement strategies to fight the virus and keep its people safe. These strategies, particularly in the West, have not been as effective at keeping the numbers of infected people as low as the governments would have hoped.

Charles R Stith predicted the trajectory the virus would take as its spread progressed and developed a critical analysis of the western countries’ responses to the pandemic. He specifically focuses on South Africa’s response to the virus as it spearheads the surge of cases on the African continent.

The crisis has far reaching consequences that impacts the most vulnerable people in the country. A recent OXFAM report draws connections between the lockdown, to hunger, to deaths which confirms the statement Stith made at the beginning of the outbreak about how people would die of hunger as they lose their jobs, their ability to provide for their families and access to fresh foods.

Stith wrote this book in real time in response to the growth and spread of the coronavirus and analyses the results of South Africa’s response to it. He gives answers to the questions politicians should have been asking and gives his view of what Africa will require to recover

The self-righteous, headstrong lawyering mother has a new and greater challenge. No longer seeking the approval of her successful mother, one of South Africa’s first women judges, Niki is out to find that elusive concept of the ‘work/life’ balance and some real, sustainable solutions.

Her journey takes her deep into feminist philosophies as she struggles to understand the unfolding media-driven drama of the Oscar Pistorius trial while researching issues of ethics in the legal profession. But in between life and children, Niki is also determined to navigate her own way around the new world of print and publishing and connect with her own identity as a writer. How is she going to survive all this?

Something In Between is a light-hearted non-fiction narrative about real issues in a changing world: issues of parenting and the legal profession, tertiary institutions and marriage institutions; issues about the old feminist debate and why it’s still unresolved and some lessons learnt about the world of books and book publishing. A memoir of her last three years and all of it absolutely true.

Ideal for anyone who wants to eliminate sugar from their diet, Sugar-Free & Carb-Conscious Living is based on ‘low carb high fat’ principles, with the emphasis on home-cooked, nutritional meals, the recipes will increase satiety, reduce sugar cravings and eliminate the need to snack between meals.

The recipes are suitable for family meals and also take account of the need to have a healthy packed lunch for school or work. Recipes and tips for breakfast get the day off to a good start and there is a varied selection of dishes for the rest of the day.

Sauces, dressings, salads and vegetables – often the key to creating variety in everyday meals – are not forgotten. Sugar-Free & Carb-Conscious Living includes guidance on encouraging children to adapt to a sugar-free diet, tips on how to incorporate alcohol and exercise into your new lifestyle, nutritional information, menu plans, and a short list of foods that are good for you and foods to avoid.

Leadership is not a destination. Leadership is an odyssey. A voyage of discovery, marked by changes of fortune and circumstances, informed by successes and failures. Defined by how you behaved and who you have become.

The Upside of Being Myself and Other Leadership Stories is a unique opportunity to catch a breath, step back, and take a long, hard, reflective look at who you are as a leader and where your odyssey will take you. Powered by experience, informed by the reality of operating in today’s harsh realities, and leveraging the insights gained from many leadership victories and defeats, each essay creates an opportunity for reflection, introspection and personal growth.

The book spans almost every aspect of leadership, including the journey towards that mythical corner office, the agility and flexibility of styles required for sustained success, the art of crisp, concise communication and the need for an internal compass to guide you on your journey. Ian Russell draws on his 30 years of leadership experience from around the world, using his irreverent, light-hearted but thought-provoking prose to land key leadership messages. Further diverse and powerful leadership insights come from a number of contributing writers on politics, large corporate life and entrepreneurial start-ups.

The Upside of Being Myself and Other Leadership Stories is an investment of your time into your leadership odyssey. This is not an opportunity you can pass by. So pick up a copy, settle down and enjoy.

Almal van ons het al laagtepunte beleef, daar waar dit voel asof jou bodem uitgeval en of die enigste wiele wat jy gehad het, totaal afgekom het. Suid. Ongelukkig het ons nie ‘n ander keuse as om alles bymekaar te maak en aan te gaan nie. Die lewe wag vir niemand nie.

Die doel van Opgee se Gat is om jou te help om op te staan en aan te gaan, en om nooit op te hou opstaan nie – ons is nie gemaak om te bly lê nie, ongeag hoe hard die klap is wat die lewe jou gegee het. Die fokus is op hoe om “opgee bestand” te word – wat is dit wat ons in plek moet hê om seker te maak dat ons nooit gaan lê nie.

Die gesprek begin by die huidige wêreld van werk, dit help jou om te verstaan waar jy tans is, beweeg aan na navigering deur moeilike tye, en lei jou deur die Oorlewing en Groei Piramiede, asook die Oorlewing en Groei Trio.

Beide hierdie is gefokus om jou toe te rus met die vaardighede, eienskappe en houdings wat noodsaaklik is om opgee bestand te wees – om nie net te oorleef in moeilike tye nie, maar ook om te floreer.

Niemand van ons is immuun teen moeilike tye en teëspoed nie – die vraag is of jy voorbereid is om dit te hanteer. Opgee se Gat neem jou op ‘n reis om elke dag meer opgee bestand te word, op ‘n baie praktiese manier. Jare se praktiese afrigting word hier geboekstaaf sodat jy self die reis kan aanpak. Niemand kom jou red nie – dit is jou eie verantwoordelikheid!

A book based on personal journeys during challenging times.

These experiences required me to make choices – some more complex than others. The most significant choice I made was to commit to the fact that the only way out of a challenge, is to get through the challenge. Shortcuts almost always resulted in additional challenges. On my journey I also realized that your capabilities need to be larger than the challenge you face.

I often made the mistake to think “I can do this by myself”. The African proverb “If you want to walk fast, walk alone! But if you want to walk far, walk together!” is true in choosing resilience. I also realized that every person can only be resilient within their own capabilities.

This book provides practical advice supported by research.

Samestellers Corlia Fourie en Annelize van Rooyen bring vermaaklike reisstories deur 46 skrywers byeen, o.a. Marita van der Vyver, Kirby van der Merwe, Sophia Kapp, Jacques Pauw, Irma Joubert, Julian Jansen, C. Johan Bakkes, Bettina Wyngaard en Frederik de Jager.

Die skrywers vertel van verrassende gebeure tydens reise, met snaakse, bittersoet of heuglike gevolge. Maar altyd is die ervaringe verrykend.

Reis saam van Fraserburg tot Timboektoe; Arizona tot Zanzibar; en nog baie ander plekke!

‘It’s simply not human!’ a passenger proclaims loudly, aghast as to what she is witnessing.

Ryan Stramrood stands at the top of the gangway stairs that are lowered down the side of an ocean liner in one of the coldest, most hostile places on Earth – Antarctica. He wears only a small Speedo costume, goggles and a swim cap. Over a hundred passengers, wearing thick layers of insulation to protect from the bitter cold, are leaning over the ship’s railing on the upper decks, cheering and desperate to get a glimpse, in morbid fascination, of what is about to happen. What Ryan is about to attempt could potentially push boundaries beyond what humans can survive.

The water temperature a deadly -1° Celsius; the distance to swim an impossible one mile.

Only a few years earlier, Ryan was a self-proclaimed couch potato. A 30-year-old salesman and father, navigating life quite successfully, albeit neatly confined in his comfort zone. Today he is a multiple Guinness World Record holder, rated globally as one of the top 50 extreme swimming athletes in the world, and a sought-after international inspirational speaker.

This fascinating story tells the incredible tales of Ryan’s journey and spirit. The inspiration and learnings each and every one of us will take from this highly relatable book are simply invaluable. We can all learn to Push Past Impossible™.

Granting Justice takes issue with the characterisation of the South African state as “developmental”. The crucial aspect of care is missing from the practice for this to be the case. Thus, while the grants address the immediate survival needs of many South Africans, social justice requires quite a different approach, an approach of care that would grant agency and dignity to recipients.

Tessa Hochfeld adopts a highly personal narrative style of writing that reflects the ethical standpoint that she took during her research. Telling a story is what makes her writing so strong and distinguishes it in the development literature.

The book falls into the fields of development studies, and social welfare and social development. The following are possible keywords: social justice; gender justice; care; social development; poverty; social protection; southern welfare; family strengthening; developmental social work.

Workplace bullying is an increasingly pervasive issue and is a challenge that should be addressed holistically, comprehensively and with a targeted approach. Every one of us in the workplace is affected by bullying, and we – company leaders, HR directors, bystanders, targets and bullies themselves – have a role to play in building psychologically safe work spaces.

In Building Psychologically Safe Spaces, Ngao Motsei teaches us how to make sense of workplace bullying. She starts by removing the confusion around what, precisely, constitutes bullying in the workplace – a behaviour that is often difficult to define – before explaining the steps that can be taken to bullyproof your organisation: actions are outlined that are required of leaders, bystanders, targets and bullies. She includes first-hand accounts from both leaders (previously accused of abrasive bullying behaviour) and targets to shed light on how this phenomenon affects all involved.

Ngao’s in-depth work on the subject, along with her personal experiences, has shown her that just as a bully can be reformed, so a target can find healing. This book is a guide to help all parties do just that.

Run for the Love of Life is a must-read for anyone who desires to escape the day-to-day sameness of our new pandemic-informed lives, or who seeks to feel alive, inspired, and filled with a renewed enthusiasm for the year ahead.

It recounts the extraordinary journey of South African Erica Terblanche, an ordinary woman who manages to not only achieve – but excel – on the world stage of extreme distance-running in some of the most inhospitable and majestic landscapes across the planet. Raw, honest and infinitely human, this part-memoir, part-travel novel thunders through one exotic race location after the other, as the runners battle the elements and each other across the vastness of the Sahara, Atacama and Namib Deserts, the great Grand Canyon, Turkish Cappadocia and the Kalahari Desert, to name only a few.

But more than just a book on racing, what makes this novel infinitely compelling and rewarding is that in the echoes of Erica’s story, one begins to sense the pulse of one’s own potential and long-forgotten dreams. While you may laugh, cry, and forget to take a breath at times, it is inevitable that Run will spur you on to find your own bliss, that which is buried deep within your soul and body.

At its heart, Run for the love of life is a story about love, forgiveness, perseverance and growth, and about the important things in life that ultimately makes us happy. Told with wit, humour and vulnerability, it is a book that will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.