‘I share to normalise talking about those shameful, hurtful things we keep hidden. I share because shame loses its power when we find safe spaces to share our truth … and when women heal, generations heal.’

To her thousands of fans, Wisdom & Wellness founder, speaker and influencer Mpoomy Ledwaba is a symbol of strength and women empowerment. But going from university dropout to Forbes magazine’s list of 30 Under 30 wasn’t always easy – it took a lot of courage and a commitment to personal growth.

How Did We Get Here? is her coming-of-age story. Looking back on her upbringing, major milestones and the challenges she’s faced, Mpoomy takes us on her journey of self-discovery. Behind the Instagram likes and thousands of YouTube subscribers is a bright girl who sometimes bit off more than she could chew. This mother of two, who is married to an award-winning musician, didn’t always have a plan and rarely fitted the mould of ‘the good wife’.

In this frank account, Mpoomy writes openly about the hurt she’s experienced, the mistakes she’s made and some of the hard truths she’s had to learn about life, but also about how her faith has been a guiding light. As a firm believer in the power of stories, she uses her personal history to show how to live a purposeful life on all levels.

On 10 June 1980, during a seemingly endless day of bloody fighting, 13 men of the South African Defence Force died and several more were wounded after 61 Mechanised Infantry Battalion Group attacked a vast complex of Swapo military bases in Angola.

During Operation Sceptic second lieutenant Paul Louw led his platoon in four Ratel infantry fighting vehicles to a battleground called Smokeshell. In the ensuing chaos of that day 12 national servicemen of his platoon of 44 were killed and he himself was wounded. In a separate incident during the fighting his company second-in-command was also slain. One of his troops, 18-year-old HP Ferreira, was shot through the pelvis by a 14,5 mm anti-aircraft round and also hit by AK-47 bullets.

Louw spent the night drenched in the blood and guts of his men, hunkered down with a handful of other survivors in a Ratel destroyed by an RPG 7 rocket, isolated from the rest of the South African attack force.

Blood Brothers records the dramatic events that took place in Angola that day, in the words of the survivors of the battle. It investigates the human cost of war after the last shots have been fired and follows the veterans as they return to the battleground four decades later in search of peace.

This book is an all-encompassing guide to everything Jan Braai currently knows about braaing. It is a celebration of this wonderful South African tradition, in which 15–20 million South Africans participate each year on 24 September on National Braai Day. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this cultural event, Jan Braai has put together more than 200 recipes that can be cooked over and enjoyed alongside a wood fire.

Divided into 20 chapters, the book includes recipes for traditional favourites such as classic potjies, steaks, burgers and ribs, to less conventional dishes prepared on the braai, including pasta, pizza, salads and desserts. Every dish is delectable and the accompanying photography will have your mouth watering, and your family and friends clamouring for a get-together around the braai fire while you put your braai skills to the test. Jan Braai’s clear instructions and no-nonsense attitude to the art of braai will ensure that even newbie braaiers will easily pull off these recipes.

There is something for everyone in this book. Readily available ingredients mean it’s a breeze to put the meals together, as most items are probably on hand already, or can be sourced with minimal effort or a quick trip to the supermarket.

Also available in Afrikaans, as 'Atmosvuur'.

As a young journalist, roped into court reporting to cover Jacob Zuma’s 2006 rape trial, Karyn Maughan could not have known that she would be reporting on Zuma’s legal woes for the next two decades – and would herself become his target. Disarmingly honest and deeply personal, this book takes a razor-sharp look at how powerful men use attacks on individuals who try to hold them accountable, as well as on the media and the courts, to undermine democracy.

Adriaan Basson says: 'Brave and brilliant. Jacob Zuma found his match in Karyn Maughan.'

‘You only need to win a game by one point.’ – Jacques Nienaber after South Africa’s tournament opener against Scotland in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Little did the coach know that it would take three one-point games to propel the Springboks into the history books as four-time winners of the Webb Ellis Cup.

In 2017 the Boks looked punch-drunk as Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus watched them being overpowered by Ireland. The following year, the coaching duo took up the reins little more than 18 months before the 2019 RWC in Japan. And so began a journey that was to end in victory in the Stade de France six years later.

Twice the Glory goes deep inside the Bok story of that historic era.

Filled with drama, cheers and tears, it will have you on the edge of your seat as you relive each nail-biting moment. It’s all here: the Covid disruption, Siya Kolisi’s rise to the captaincy, Rassie in hot water over that video, injury blows and the emergence of new talent as they head off to France. The book also includes penetrating analysis and insights from the self-effacing Nienaber into how this team became the finest the world has seen.

A recurring theme is the friendship between Jacques and Rassie that goes all the way back to their university days, and why they decided to come home to South Africa to ‘turn things around’.

After forty years of entertaining and mesmerizing audiences with his effervescent dancing and bubbly stage personality, veteran performer and producer Alistair Izobell was the consummate professional and showman. A household name from his performances as a nine-year-old boy in District Six the musical, to his cover version hit in 1993 - Venus. With theatre performances in Kat and the Kings, The Buddy Holly Story, The Doo Wha Boys, co-writing Remembering the Lux and more, life was amazing for this creative. Producing show after show, leaving audiences with lifelong memories. Introducing new talent to the industry, nurturing existing talent, writing theme songs for soap operas and a song for an international Grammy award winning group. The sky was the limit. But it was all smoke and mirrors. There was darkness behind the spotlight.

Alistair never knew he was suffering from depression and the walls were closing in. The patriarchal system that we as a society have become accustomed to had come to bear with a bit of karma, after a massive betrayal in his life, and the cards came crashing down.

On the 13th September 2023 Alistair Izobell tried to take his life. It was all too much for him to carry on. Having survived suicide, he now had to face every good, bad and ugly reality, every decision, the trauma, and results of a life handed over to show business at a young age. The road to recovery and healing has and will be a long one. But when you want to heal and find your smile and freedom, nothing can stop you.

Broken to Heal is born from the sessions of therapy and wanting to be better. A book of anecdotes inviting the reader into the life and world of this performer we forgot was a normal child, husband, father, and friend. This book is aimed to let those who enjoy the work of performers think a little deeper about the enormous naked emotional journey creatives go through for them to enjoy the beauty of their art. But to remember that there is a real human being behind the curtains with the same life challenges we all carry. It is also a hand of hope to someone out there suffering from depression, to remind them that all is not lost, and there is help and kindness that you have access to.

There is medical help that you have at your disposal and that you are never alone in your darkness. Someone is waiting for you to say I need help. And more than anything, YOU BELONG HERE!

‘I straighten her little tiara every morning – I lift her chin and remind her that she is meant for greater things than playground bullies.’

‘Everything shines in its own time. There is no timetable for life.
Timetables are for classrooms, not for people.’

These are just some of the wisdoms shared on The Village, South Africa’s beloved Facebook group for parents raising tweens, teens and young adults.

Having kids is a baffling endeavour beset with sulks, meltdowns, anxiety and disappointment – and that’s just the parents! When you get that call to the principal’s office? When the school acceptances don’t come? When the bedroom door slams and you hear your child sobbing behind it? All awful but the family years are also, to many of us, our most precious time. The trick? To find a way to enjoy our families, love our children and believe in them and ourselves despite the daily challenges. And laugh . . .

In this book, Vanessa Raphaely and Karin Schimke have gathered together experiences and insights from The Village members. These are the gems and remedies from the real parenting experts – the parents – to help you raise your family in your own perfectly imperfect way.

Reuben Riffel shares his secrets on how to get to flavour quicker... without the fuss.

I think every chef has a dream of how they’d cook for people in an ideal world… for me my dream scenario is definitely cooking with fire. There's a happiness that goes with cooking on a fire, a freedom and festive feel to it, that is what I love about it.

This book is about flavours first, the simplicity of cooking over fire. It’s not about how to braai, the technical stuff… rather just to share my enjoyment of cooking, and to encourage you to play and experiment with cooking over fire. You don’t have to be an expert braaimaster and slave over hot coals for hours. I like to see a fire as an extension of the kitchen, using the same spices and flavourings that I enjoy cooking with inside, but cooking over a fire for the extra flavour and a touch of smoke.

The recipes in this book are the tried and tested ones that got the thumbs up from friends and family, and range from incredibly simple to more creative. You’ll find different meats and seafoods, loads of vegetables and salads… and a good helping of quick and easy snacks to keep everyone happy kuiering by the fire while you cook the main event.

Dive into the world of air frying with celebrity chef Herman Lensing and discover why this versatile gadget is your new best friend in the kitchen!

For his latest cookbook, Herman has selected his top 100 air fryer recipes that will take your taste buds on an unforgettable adventure. From mouthwatering breakfasts, sultry side dishes, succulent mains, boujee baking and delectable desserts, his creative flair and culinary genius shine through in every dish.

Starving for meals that are quick and easy to prepare? Look no further. Whether you're a novice cook or a seasoned pro, this book is packed with fun, flavour, and fabulousness.

Francois van Coke span met die skryf van hierdie biografie saam met Annie Klopper om in sy eie stem die gebeure te vertel wat hom as mens en musikant gevorm het. Sy perspektief word gebied op als van Fokofpolisiekar tot Van Coke Kartel, die sukses van “Toe vind ek jou” en sy rol as afrigter op The Voice. Minder bekende en onbekende verhale word ook vertel oor wilde partytjies, vuisgevegte, dwelms, nagte in tronkselle, liefde, soberheid en pa-wees. Dít is sy stories, hoe hý dit onthou.

No little thorn in the flesh or irritating fly in the ointment, Zapiro just cannot be ignored.

It’s been another helluva year, and who better to make sense of it than Zapiro, political analyst, cartoonist and agent provocateur? He can knock the air out of us, rock us back in our seats and force us to bolt upright with a 1000-watt jolt of electrifying shock. He makes us angry, he makes us laugh, and he makes us think. He shines a light on the elephant in the room, presenting the emperor in all his naked glory. Impossible to brush off, he is determined to provoke a response.

When all around is crumbling, when fake news and zipped lips conceal the truth, Zapiro comes to the rescue; with the dissecting eye of a surgeon, the rapier-like point of his pen exposes flimflam and reveals with a line what lies behind the action.

A story of Mandela’s top cop, steeped in apartheid-era sabotage across local and global criminal investigations spanning decades. Add in nefarious individuals, from an informant once close to Colombia’s Pablo Escobar, to several suspected Cape Town crime kingpins, the stakes only get higher.

This is the scandal that has lacerated the South African Police Service, and implicated some of the country’s top cops and politicians. Bestselling author Caryn Dolley provides unprecedented insight into how apartheid-era policing structures lay the foundations for cop-gangster collusion and how these have endured into democracy.

With exclusive access to retired policeman André Lincoln’s life, Dolley exposes the dirty ploys that have swung South Africa’s trajectory; how street-level killings could be flashpoints of deep state proxy wars; and raises suspicions about who in Nelson Mandela’s realm backstabbed whom.

Soos vinkel en koljander, dís Najma Abrahams (Tietie) en Azba Fanie (Nanna). Dié twee TikTok-tuiskokke se hande staan vir niks verkeerd óf stil nie, veral nie vir die kospotte nie. Hul resepte is hartskos – niks fensie bestanddele nie, net geurige regte, egte huiskos met ’n Kaaps-Maleise twist.

Groenboontjiebredie, tamatiekos, split pea-sop en selfs die vergete sagobredie, blomkoolbredie, panfrikkadel, Nando’s-hoender, broodpoeding en dhaltjies eerlik gemaak, sonder fieterjasies – dit is mos die onopgesmukte huiskos waarna elkeen verlang. Die kerries is natuurlik ook daar – suikerboon-, hoender-, dhal- en mincekerrie, breyani, noem maar op. Snoek-in-die-oond, kerrievis en seekos-paella (times are tough, ’n mens moet maar ’n paar maande of so spaar daarvoor, sê die twee siezas) bring die see in jou kospotte. Vir “broke week” is daar sakpas-randrekkers soos dhanya-soesys, eierkerrie en spaghetti-en-sardyne. Tietie se peperminttert en lemon meringue is uit ’n ander wêreld en Nanna se braised skaapnek sal enige onthaaltafel laat kreun van smaakgenot. Mavrou, Tietie se lamsvleis-weergawe van dié tradisionele gereg wat in die Kaaps-Maleise kultuur by troues voorgesit word, is ’n tydlose treffer.

En moenie van die happies en lekkernye vergeet nie – dis nou die “soet en sout” waarmee Mzansi se mense grootgeword en die lewe om elke hoek en draai gevier het. Watertand-verleidings soos bollas, flapjacks, skons, snowballs, patatkoekies, sweetcorn fritters en vele meer. Samoesas en roti’s kry variasies in geure en kleure om van te droom. (Só sê Tietie: Roti is baie versatile – eet dit met kerrie, masala steak of selfs as ’n poeding. Dis tog te lekker met strawberries, strawberry jam en cream.)

Nou ja, as jy nie so ’n tuiskombuis geken het nie, is jy waarskynlik reeds daaraan voorgestel op Tietie en Nanna se kookprogram, Tietie en Nanna kook op VIA, kanaal 147 op DStv, of in hul stories en kwinkslae op Instagram en TikTok.

Met Tietie en Nanna se onfeilbare resepte, perfek beproef, kan elkeen weer huiskos, soos ons ma’s, oumas en tantes dit gemaak het, in hul eie kombuise opdis.

Professor. Pundit. Public nuisance. In his columns, books and on social media, Jonathan Jansen is prolific and he likes to speak his mind about schools and universities, race, politics and our complex South African society.

He has brought an incisive analysis, compassion and sense of humour to some of the most controversial issues in our country for many years. And now, in this memoir, he goes back to his early years growing up in a loving, fiercely evangelical family on the Cape Flats,
being put on the road to purpose by an inspiring school teacher and becoming the first of his generation to go to university under the apartheid regime. Journey with Jansen as he finds a passion for teaching high school and becomes a leading academic and thinker
amid great transformation in post-apartheid South Africa.

This patchwork of memories tells a bigger story than his own life. It’s a tale of learning the value of ‘breaking bread’ with others, of finding mutual recognition in our different faith and fears, our ideals and frustrations, our hurts and our hopes.

The South African Keto and Intermittent Fasting Cookbook gives you all the tools you need to make the positive switch to a healthier you.

In this book, Rita and Natalie guide you through every step of your ketogenic journey, explaining the reasoning behind the keto diet and intermittent fasting, and how easy and accessible a ketogenic lifestyle is.

Complete with:

• A 12-step programme
• A list of carb levels per foodstuff
• Shopping lists and delicious recipes
• 7-day meal plans including dairy-free, budget, carnivore, camping, and intermittent fasting
• Nutritional information, testimonials and tips
• Keto Q & A

Say hello to low-carb, high-fat eating and goodbye to carbo-loaded bread, pasta, grains and starchy veggies!

In The Truth About Cape Slavery, Patric Tariq Mellet argues that modern South Africa – its economy and politics – is shaped and established on the foundation of chattel slavery just like the United States of America.

Cape slavery, rather than minor, was a crucial feature of maritime capitalism. This then moved to become the cornerstone of the Cape’s agricultural economy.

What do African feminist traditions that exist outside the canon look and feel like? What complex cultural logics are at work outside the centres of power? How do spirituality and feminism influence each other? What are the histories and experiences of queer Africans? What imaginative forms can feminist activism take?

Surfacing: On Being Black and Feminist in South Africa is the first collection of essays dedicated to contemporary Black South African feminist perspectives. Leading feminist theorist, Desiree Lewis, and poet and feminist scholar, Gabeba Baderoon, have curated contributions by some of the finest writers and thought leaders. Radical polemic sits side by side with personal essays, and critical theory coexists with rich and stirring life histories. By including writings by Patricia McFadden, Panashe Chigumadzi, Sisonke Msimang, Zukiswa Wanner, Yewande Omotoso, Zoë Wicomb and Pumla Dineo Gqola alongside emerging thinkers, activists and creative practitioners, the collection demonstrates a dazzling range of feminist voices.

The writers in these pages use creative expression, photography and poetry in eclectic, interdisciplinary ways to unearth and interrogate representations of Blackness, sexuality, girlhood, history, divinity, and other themes. Surfacing is indispensable to anyone interested in feminism from Africa, which its contributors show in vivid and challenging conversation with the rest of the world. It will appeal to a diverse audience of students, activists, critical thinkers, academics and artists.

Sukkel jy met selfvertroue? Vergelyk jy jouself gedurig met die wêreld se idee van perfeksie? Verhinder jou gebrek aan selfvertroue jou om doelwitte te bereik en werklik sukesvol te wees? Jy is nie alleen nie.

Van die slimste en mooiste vroue ter wêreld het lae selfvertroue. In hierdie boek deel Rolene Strauss hoe ook sy met 'n tekort aan selfvertroue gesukkel het, selfs terwyl sy die Mej. Wêreldkroon gedra het. Deur haar meestersgraad in professionele lewensafrigting en ure se afrigtingsessies met vroue wat met lae selfvertroue gesukkel het, het Rolene waardevolle insigte bekom oor hoe vroue hul selfvertroue kan bou en behou.

Herontdek Jou Selfvertroue is ’n onontbeerlike gids vir vroue wat die moed en vertroue wil hê om hul drome vreesloos na te jaag.

In the early 1990's the Norwood Rapist and serial killer was on the loose, sending a suburb of women into terror. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, echoing Clarice and Hannibal Lector in Silence of The Lambs, Lazarus is used by the police as a decoy to hunt Geldenhyus who has terrorised the JHB suburb of Norwood. It becomes extremely personal – the hunter hunting the hunted.

Set in the newsroom of the predigital era, the gruesome story was competing with some of the hugest headlines in our transition to democracy. Written as a riveting behind-the-headlines true crime memoir with a most unusual twist, the book explores fascinating newsroom ethics and questionable police procedures while delving into the power relationship between a reporter, an editor and a serial killer.

If we are to believe that journalists should shape the news – not make the news – Lazarus breaks just about every rule in the newsroom guide book as she becomes increasingly obsessed with Geldenhyus.

In this autobiographical account of a lifetime spent observing, researching and photographing birds, Peter Steyn shares experiences that span some 70 years.

His story starts and ends in Cape Town, South Africa, but in between we read about:

• the 17 years he spent in Zimbabwe – his most productive in terms of ornithological research
• his worldwide travels in a quest to study birds
• his regular spells as a lecturer on cruise-ship voyages
• trips from the Arctic to the Antarctic, to remote Southern Ocean islands and to several Indian Ocean islands and St Helena
• travels also to the USA, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Ethiopia – all in pursuit of birds

His detailed and fascinating memoir captures the author’s great enthusiasm for birds and their role in his shaping his life and experiences.

Kingdom of Daylight: Memories of a Birdwatcher is well illustrated and features more than 400 photographs taken during Peter’s lifelong journey with birds.

Robert Hamblin's much awaited memoir is a tale of a human who refuses to live in a box, confronting and healing from gender confines and racism.

It's about excavating the truth in violent Apartheid South Africa where law and church decide which body can love another, based on colour or gender, brilliantly exploring the confines of the straight trajectory.

Shortly after the giant bronze statue of Cecil John Rhodes came down at the University of Cape Town, student protestors called for the decolonisation of universities. It was a word hardly heard in South Africa's struggle lexicon and many asked: What exactly is decolonisation? This book brings together some of the most innovative thinking on curriculum theory to address this important question.

In the process, several critical questions are raised:

• Is decolonisation simply a slogan for addressing other pressing concerns on campuses and in society?
• What is the colonial legacy with respect to curricula and can it be undone?
• How is the project of curricula decolonisation similar to or different from the quest for post-colonial knowledge, indigenous knowledge or a critical theory of knowledge?
• What does decolonisation mean in a digital age where relationships between knowledge and power are shifting?

Strong conceptual analyses are combined with case studies of attempts to `do decolonisation' in settings as diverse as South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Mauritius. This comparative perspective enables reasonable judgments to be made about the prospects for institutional take-up within the curriculum of century-old universities. Decolonisation in Universities is essential reading for undergraduate teaching, postgraduate research and advanced scholarship in the field of curriculum studies.

All the numbers on South Africa’s crisis dashboard are blinking red. The economy is failing to grow and more and more young people find themselves on the outside looking in as education falters and jobs disappear. Energy and transport are in crisis. Governance is floundering as debt mounts and government runs out of money.

Better Choices is a collection by South Africa’s top thinkers on the political economy, providing an unflinching account of the myriad challenges the country faces. The picture that emerges is of a nation on the brink of a catastrophic slide into failure unless better, if tough, policy choices are made. As stark as these problems are, their solutions are tantalisingly close at hand. The chapters in this book outline exactly the solutions – those ‘better choices’– that need to be made by leadership to alter the country’s bleak trajectory.

South Africa cannot talk its way out of trouble. Key to success is removing the sources of friction – the red tape, over-regulation and rents – that slow down investment. This is only possible if a more effective, focused government acts decisively.

Compiled by The Brenthurst Foundation, Africa’s leading think tank on economic development, Better Choices is for those who want to build a positive, inclusive future for South Africa.

South African born-and-raised Hollywood screenwriter Helena Kriel is researching the ancient text of the Kama Sutra for a movie she’s writing. At the same time, she is travelling to India to meet with sages and find answers to the universal challenges of sex and love. While searching for love in her doomed relationships, little does she know she will find her answers in caring for her dying brother, Evan, in South Africa.

Set in the mid-1990s, South Africa is just emerging from the darkness of apartheid and bursting with vibrant chaos. The story zooms in on an intense year in the narrator’s life. It centres around the lively and eccentric South African Kriel family: Maya, the combative but inspired mother; Lexi, the sister recently returned from living in a temple in India; Ross, the younger brother diving with sharks; and Helena, the narrator, herself on a journey to understand love and death. At the heart of the story is Evan, her terminally ill 30-year-old gay brother, who has been keeping his illness a shameful secret. Conscious, sensitive, terrified and trying to hang onto sanity as his world changes, Evan becomes paralysed then finally goes blind as death draws ever closer. But it is Evan who leads the family through the fire.

In living through her brother’s fight to stay alive, the narrator finds herself at the heart of a savage story, one she would not have chosen. How could she know when she set out to India to find ancient solutions to the modern problems of our age that her brother’s approaching death would be her greatest teacher? How could she imagine that dying brings everything to life?

The Year Of Facing Fire is an astoundingly written memoir by one of South Africa’s finest writers. It traverses universal themes including love, death and sex, and finds value in the ordinary and great beauty in the uncertain.

Hiking Beyond Cape Town opens a gateway to the myriad trails and tracks that await hikers – young and old, novice and experienced – beyond the confines of the city.

This collection of day trips outside of Cape Town features 40 trails, fanning out from the south coast to the west and covering a range of varied hikes in between. Ranging between 2 to 7 hours, the hikes are tailored for single-day trips, although a handful will require overnighting.

Each hike entry includes an accurate, up-to-date route description, a map of the trail, and directions for getting to the start. In each case, an upfront summary outlines the distance, duration, grade of difficulty, and elevation of the hike, as well as other details. Striking colour photographs and observations about the plant and animal life along the route add lively interest.

A brief introduction provides expert advice on gear, planning and preparation.