Sasol Eerste Veldgids tot die Paddas van Suider-Afrika is ’n interessante gids tot die paddas van die streek. Volkleurfoto’s, verspreidingskaarte en verstaanbare teks sal nuwelinge en aspirantnatuurkenners help om die algemeenste paddaspesies in Suider-Afrika uit te ken, te ontdek waar hulle voorkom en te leer van hul unieke gedrag en buitengewone eienskappe.

Hierdie bundel bevat vyf van Pieter-Dirk Uys se Afrikaanse dramas wat by verskyning aandag getrek het oor Uys se se satiriese uitbeelding van en kritiek op die apartheid-stelsel, nl. Selle ou storie, Karnaval, Die Van Aardes van Grootoor, Panorama en die Die vleiroos. Die selle ou storie en Karnaval is destyds deur die Publikasieraad verbied.

Pangolins have long been sustainably harvested by local communities for their meat and scales, but today the burgeoning trade in these mammals has reached crisis point. Eight pangolin species occur worldwide, four in Asia and four in Africa, and all face extinction if current rates of hunting and trading continue unabated.

Now the spotlight is on the world’s most trafficked mammal. Scientists have identified pangolins as the likely source of the coronavirus infection that has brought the world to its knees. This multi-trillion dollar disaster makes pangolins the most expensive meals ever eaten.

In this timely exposé, Richard Peirce unpacks the horrors and dangers of the trade in this enigmatic, little-known mammal. He explains the links between wildlife and Covid-19, and details China’s response to the pandemic.

He also tells the story of a particular pangolin poached in Zimbabwe and brought to South Africa to be traded. Readers accompany an agent of the African Pangolin Working Group, assisted by the local police, on an actual sting operation to rescue the animal and capture the traffickers. And they follow the subsequent progress of the rescued pangolin, from near death to rehabilitation and release into the wild.

Eco-friendly gardening is fast catching on. Butterflies are visible signs of a healthy garden, and, with their whimsical flight patterns and glorious colours, they are among the most alluring of our aerial visitors. Gardening for butterflies shows how to attract these beautiful insects, giving step-by-step instructions for planning and planting a garden that will cater for the greatest number and diversity of butterflies. Using a Durban garden as a case study, it includes a recommended layout and plant lists for this area, as well as for other regions around the country. The book showcases 95 garden butterflies and moths, showing their full life cycle, including pupa, eggs and caterpillar. Stunning photography and point-form text ensure accurate identification of each stage in the cycle, and an interesting introduction discusses such topics as the extraordinary process of metamorphosis and the curious habits of these mercurial insects. Whether you’re tempted to undertake a full-scale transformation of your garden to attract butterflies, make smaller adjustments to it, or if you simply want to identify those insects already visiting your space, this book will amaze and enchant you.

Why do elephants flap their ears? Which big cat leaps into the air to catch birds? How do bushbabies get their name?

Discover the answers to these questions and enjoy hours of colouring fun with the latest addition to our Read, colour and keep series. There are more than 40 animals to colour in, each illustration providing budding artists and inquisitive children with interesting facts as they work through the book.

The centre spread contains a pull-out gallery of all the animals in full colour. These can serve to guide children in colouring in the outlined images – or they can simply use their imagination!

Children will enjoy hours of fun colouring in this selection of our most striking seashore life – more than 40 of the brightest, most fascinating, commonly known creatures and plants from our local shores.

In the middle of the book is a full-colour gallery of all the featured shore life, giving a clear guide as to which shade of crayon or paint to use when colouring in the outlined images throughout the book.

As they work through the book, budding artists and inquisitive children will also be able to pick up snippets of knowledge about the creatures, such as how the colourful sea anemone overpowers its prey; whether the sponge is an animal; how the starfish pulls its stomach outside of its body to eat; why the hermit crab's homes are all second-hand; and the bag of tricks used by that master of disguise, the octopus.

Mtutuzeli Nyoka grew up loving and playing the game of cricket. In 2008, he was appointed as the president of Cricket South Africa (CSA), a position he held until October 2011 when, after a protracted battle with the CSA board, he was dismissed. However, he continued to call for a commission of inquiry into irregularities in CSA. And when retired Judge Chris Nicholson conducted an investigation into CSA, his findings on the corruption and maladministration in the game were damning, particularly in terms of Gerald Majola.

In Deliberate Concealment, Nyoka shares his behind-the-scenes experiences and personal journey as events unfolded, including his own mistakes, the repercussions of the scandal on the game of cricket in South Africa, and his fight for the truth to prevail.

"This is an extraordinary story of one man’s courage and determination to seek the truth and make sure it saw the light of day." – GILES CLARKE, president of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"During his tenure as president of Cricket South Africa, Mtutuzeli Nyoka fought almost alone to expose corruption and improve corporate governance within the higher echelons of South African cricket … For this the cricket community of South Africa owe him a great deal of gratitude." – DR ALI BACHER

Africa has a rich golfing history, with numerous remarkable champions and administrators, both black and white, contributing to the sport’s development across the continent. The continent boasts 25 men’s and 4 women’s major titles, led by iconic figures like Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Ernie Els, and Nick Price, all of whom have left an indelible mark on the global stage.

While Southern Africa, particularly South Africa, has historically produced many of the continent’s elite golfers, notable talents have also emerged from countries outside this region. Golfers from Egypt, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Morocco, Kenya, Tanganyika, and Mozambique have made significant contributions, often flying under the radar compared to their Southern African counterparts.

The sport’s development in these regions has been accompanied by the emergence of new champions, signaling a bright future for African golf.

Frogs & Frogging in South Africa offers amateur froggers an accessible and practical introduction to frog identification.

This edition of the highly popular guide has been expertly revised and fully updated to reflect the latest advances in taxonomy and nomenclature.

It offers: all of the species in Africa south of latitude 22 °S; a section on frog biology and behaviour; how to photograph frogs and record their calls; how to attract frogs to your garden, and ideas for projects such as building a pond; the range of frog species to be found in different environmental niches; maps and colourful photographs with the updated accounts; a new key to the identification of tadpole genera; a CD with all 115 frog calls, which offer one of the best ways to find.

This collection brims with the imaginative, informative and comic personal narratives of Hedley Twidle. Twidle brings a sense of lightness, play and comedy to subjects that are often dealt with in predictable or self-righteous ways.

It chronicles South Africa during the ‘second transition’ – one in which the foundations of the post-apartheid settlement are being shaken and questioned in all kinds of ways.

Daar is nie ’n grondpad te sinkplaat, plaasdraad te hoog of aanwysings te gebrekkig om Jackie Grobler te keer nie. As hy eers ’n monument in sy visier het, sal hy dit vind.

In hierdie boek reis hy oor berge en dale van Lichtenburg in Noordwes tot die heuwels van Tabankulu in die Oos-Kaap. Grobler reis onder meer op die spoor van Voortrekker Carel Trichardt deur Mpumalanga en in KwaZulu-Natal gaan hy na die slagvelde van die Anglo-Zoeloeoorlog. In Gauteng vind hy monumente ter ere van twee van Suid-Afrika se grootste leiers: Nelson Mandela en Jan Smuts. In die Vrystaat soek hy na oorblyfsels van twee konsentrasiekampe en in Limpopo kom hy af op monumente aan ’n Anglo-Boereoorlogkanon (die Long Tom). Sy reise na die Oos-Kaap neem hom na gedenkplekke vir Steve Biko en in die Wes-Kaap gaan hy op die spoor van die Portugese ontdekkingsreisigers.

Elke provinsie sal ’n kaart hê wat die monumente aandui.

A collection of humorous, touching and uplifting stories about life, rugby and everything else by one of South Africa’s true rugby legends...

Theuns Stofberg’s illustrious rugby career spanned from 1976 to 1985, and he is commonly considered one of the all-time Springbok greats. As the 36th captain of the Springboks, one of only 56 players to be given this honour, he was tough and uncompromising on the field but a true gentleman and great raconteur off it, which he proves with the anecdotes collected in this book.

In Stories from the Touchline, he takes the reader behind the scenes, from his childhood days as a schoolboy rugby player to the 1981 flour-bomb tour of New Zealand and winning the Currie Cup for three different provinces – a feat unmatched to this day. He also writes about what it was like playing with legends such as Morné du Plessis, Gerrie Germishuys, Schalk Burger Sr and Gysie Pienaar, marvels at the fans' odd and often colourful behaviour, and affords readers a fascinating glimpse into the amateur days of rugby in South Africa. He also shares his personal struggles with a speech impediment and ill health, and coping with family tragedy, in his own inimitable way. By turns deeply personal, amusing and nostalgic, this book will be treasured by each and every South African rugby fan.

Keen to get out there and get fit on your mountain bike but you lack the time or motivation?

Seasoned journalists & MTB riders Chris and Tim Whitfield will help you turn your weekend-warrior dreams into reality with tips on cool trails, events and advice on everything from equipment and safety to MTB lingo and fashion.

This fun handbook – packed with maps and tips – is your indispensable guide to getting out into the fresh air and to get ON YOUR BIKE …

In her fourth collection, Isobel Dixon takes readers on a journey to far-flung and sometimes dark places. From Robben Island to Hiroshima, Egypt to Edinburgh, the West Bank and beyond, these poems are forays of discovery and resistance, of arrival and loss. Bearings sings of love too, and pays homage to lost friends and poets – the voices of John Berryman, Robert Louis Stevenson and others echo here. As Dixon explores form and subject, and a sometimes troubled past, she keeps a weather eye out for telling detail, with a sharp sense of the threat that these journeys, our wars and stories, and our very existence pose to the planet.

In this fully revised edition of A Guide to Dragonfl ies & Damselfl ies of South Africa, all164 species known to occur in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland are described and illustrated, grouped according to family (six dragonfl y and six damselfl y families). The species entries feature scans of live insects (close-up and side-view images) and photographs of specimens in their natural environment and showing key behaviours. Detailed descriptions focus on size, identifying features and occurrence. An introductory chapter unpacks the life cycle, behaviour, biology and breeding of this fascinating group of insects. Presented in a classic field guide format, this revised edition now also features:

- Expanded annotations to all illustrations, highlighting diagnostic features to ensure accurate identifi cation

- New distribution maps

- Additional colour plates and photographs

Beautifully presented, informative and authoritative, this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in South Africa’s insect life, and to nature lovers in general.

Let Elephants Roam is an uplifting book about elephants in a time of deep concern, not only for these great, grey giants of the savanna but for the ecological health of nature and the whole planet.

Some 1.4 billion people live in Africa, which could nearly double by 2050. Increasing pressure on the continent’s wildlife refuges and the diversity they harbour seems inevitable. This is the social, political and economic reality of Africa.

Development of mega-infrastructure, agriculture, and mining consume wildlife habitat, fragment migratory pathways, and reduce access to food and water sources. This scenario sees elephants and other wildlife confined almost everywhere to ‘islands’ of protected areas in a sea of people and their activities.

For many people, visiting South African game reserves is all about ticking off the ‘Big Five’. But what about those animals you’ve got almost zero chance of seeing?

Justin Fox goes in search of South Africa’s most elusive animals – the ‘Impossible Five’ – the Cape mountain leopard, aardvark, pangolin, naturally occurring white lion and the riverine rabbit.

Besides the animals, the book is peopled with an immensely likeable cast of characters and provides compelling insights into wild South Africa and the local game-ranging and natural-science industries.

Paige is best known for A Million Miles From Normal, her weekly column in the Sunday Times Life & Style magazine. As one of the anchor columnists of the Life & Style section since 2011, she has produced hundreds of hilarious columns and received hundreds more hilarious responses.

Pens Behaving Badly is a collection of the best of her columns and the best of the wild letters they’ve inspired.

For fly-fishermen everywhere, the news of an upcoming book from Tom Sutcliffe is as exciting as a ten-pound wild rainbow on a 4X tippet… Yet More Sweet Days certainly lives up to the weight of expectation from his many fans, locally and internationally.

It races upstream in leaps and bounds, taking you to places you’ve always wanted to fish: you’ll wade the high mountain rivers of the Eastern Cape, clamber along the boulder-strewn crystal streams of the Western Cape, throw a dainty dry on hallowed English chalkstreams, and fight fresh-run salmon in rugged Iceland with a volcano belching ash behind your casting shoulder.

You’ll pick up tips and ideas (almost without realising it) from a master trout fisherman who has done more for the beautiful sport in South Africa than anyone, ever. Along the way you’ll soak yourself warmly in a philosophy that embraces fish and birds, people and animals – a philosophy honed by thousands of kilometres of stalking up streams and countless cups of coffee brewed on a stove perched on the tailgate of his fishing truck.

Complemented by many original artworks from the author, this beautiful book is at once a rumination, a reflection and a profound escape for fly fishermen everywhere; when you’re not actually casting at trout, this is the next best thing. [credit: Paul Curtis]

Fully updated and expanded, this third edition of the top-selling Field Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs of East Africa now features more than 520 of the trees and shrubs – indigenous and naturalized exotics – commonly found in the region.

Each of the four sections – trees, shrubs, palms and mangroves – is arranged in alphabetical order according to scientifi c name. The book features:

• An informative introduction to families.

• Species accounts describing the plants’ habitat, bark, leaves, fl owers and fruit.

• General and commercial applications and uses in traditional medicine.

• Almost 2,000 photographs depicting the species, its fruit, fl owers and bark.

• Glossaries, both textual and illustrated, of botanical and medical terms.

Nie alleen ’n waardevolle naslaanwerk nie, maar ook ’n interessante en leesbare versameling feite waarvan Suid-Afrikaners aan die einde van die eerste dekade van die 21ste eeu behoort kennis te dra.

Alle Suid-Afrikaners gaan hoogs waarskynlik die een of ander tyd hierdie gegewens in gesprekke of in die media teëkom: Dan moet hulle darem minstens iets daarvan weet, of indien nie, ’n gesaghebbende bron hê om dit in ’n kits na te slaan.

• Die belangrikste kennisgebiede, waaronder die politiek, geskiedenis, geografie, letterkunde, religie, die kunste en wetenskap en tegnologie word in 13 afdelings gedek.
• Sowat 4000 helder, kernagtige artikels, alfabeties per afdeling gerangskik.
• Ruim kruisverwysings en ’n omvattende indeks vir vinnige naslaanwerk.
• Sowat 200 illustrasies.

Goed om te weet sal sy lesers in staat stel om ingelig saam te gesels oor elke onderwerp wat saak maak in vandag se wêreld.

Hans Büttner en George Claassen en hul span medewerkers deel in hierdie hoogs toeganklike feitegids hul indrukwekkende algemene kennisskat ruim met alle Suid-Afrikaners.

Natural history and travel writer David Bristow delivers the fourth in his Stories from the Veld series of non-fiction narratives.

You could say this book has a bit of everything: scientific descriptions of animals alongside philosophical discourses on the nature of wilderness, high drama in the jaws of death, and tragedy played out as farce when things go unexpectedly wrong on safari.

You’ll also find out why lions can roar so loudly, why giraffes can barely whisper, why the elephant’s trunk is one of nature’s wonders and why dung beetles study astronomy. The author examines questions featuring little-known information about nature and some of its creatures.

Then there is the quirkier stuff, like men who think they are lions, a woman who watches wolves (otherwise known as brown hyenas), and an explorer who invented his own species. And if that was not enough, there’s the man who fought off hippos and crocodiles only to be rescued by a buffalo, and a woman who lived in a tree.

Written in the same engaging style as his previous three books in the Stories from the Veld series (The Game Ranger, the Knife, the Lion and the Sheep; Of Hominins, Hunter Gatherers and Heroes; and Big Pharma, Dirty Lies, Busy Bees and Eco Activists), these bush tales are written in his usual highly entertaining style, yet are intricately woven through with scholarly insights into his subjects.

Scorpions of Southern Africa, the go-to guide for identifying southern Africa's rich scorpion fauna, has now been freshly designed, updated and expanded. It includes 12 additional species, new images and distribution maps, and a chapter on how to go about identifying scorpions. An invaluable guide for the amateur naturalist and professional alike, this accessible book describes: scorpion anatomy and behaviour; the strategies that enable scorpions to survive harsh conditions; their use of venom, and other aspects of their successful existence over millions of years.

The book presents 50 of the most recognizable and geologically interesting sites around South Africa, including some of palaeontological or historical renown and some of mining interest. The diverse selection includes sites such as Chapman’s Peak, Howick Falls, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens, Mapungubwe, Tswaing Meteorite Crater and the Fraserburg Fossil Surface.

Each site is unpacked to reveal:

- key features

- geological heritage

- landscape and rock formations

- topics of local or historical interest

- things to see and do at the site and in the surrounding area.

Maps and GPS pointers make the sites easy to find, and some of the more complicated features are explained by means of simplified diagrams.

Nearly 1,000 colour images illustrate South Africa’s remarkable geology and bring the topic vividly to life, making the book suitable for armchair travel too.

Meet Romario Valentine, an 11-year-old eco-warrior from Durban, South Africa.

Through his tree planting, beach clean-ups, avian art and other conservation projects in Africa and other parts of the world, this young activist has become a dynamic campaigner for the future health of our planet. In Protect our Planet, Romario enthusiastically guides young nature lovers through key environmental topics – from recycling and reforestation to pollution solutions and climate change.

Topics covered in this book overlap with the Foundation Phase curriculum, and include:

• The relationship between people and the environment
• Renewable resources, such as solar power
• Forestation and why trees matter
• Types of pollution and the problem with plastic
• Reducing, reusing and recycling
• Climate change
• The importance of clean water
• Craft ideas, art activities and backyard projects

Includes step-by-step projects suitable for Foundation Phase learners, such as building a bug hotel, birdfeeder and water filter.