“Met die middagson kom die lugspieëlings wat aan die vallei sy naam gegee het: Deception Valley. Dan skuil alles wat asemhaal in die koelte van 'n matjarra, rug na die wind gedraai. In die lang geelwit gras lê die leeus uitgestrek en slaap. Net die vlakvarke draf stertorent nader vir 'n modderbad.”
Annelize Slabbert was 'n joernalis in Johannesburg en haar man, Gerard, 'n apteker. Doodgewone stedelinge. Toe word hulle moeg vir die lewe in die stad, die spitsverkeer en die gejaag, en verhuis sak en pak na Botswana. Hier, in die son en sand van die Sentraal-Kalahari, gaan hulle 'n luukse vierster-lodge bestuur.
Tussen die luiperdwyfie in die slaapkamer, die dansende Russe en “wilde diere” in die swembad, sal 'n Luiperd in my bed jou laat lê van die lag . . . en jou twee keer laat dink voor jy jou eie landelike idille aandurf.
'n Skerfie glas
Die skrywer Erika Murray-Theron wou weet waar die vroue in haar familie vandaan kom. Wat kry 'n mens van wie? Waar kom alles wat jý is vandaan? Hoe is die vroue in haar familie se lewe geraak deur trauma en groot wêreldgebeurtenisse waaroor hulle geen beheer gehad het nie? Theron se ouma Issie is op 3 Mei 1885 gebore; 133 jaar gelede. In hierdie verhaalbiografie gaan soek Theron in ou kookboeke, aantekeninge, foto's, herinneringe, albums, briewe en geslagsregisters na haar ouma Issie se storie. 'n Lewe ontvou wat geraak is deur die verlies van ouers, die Anglo-Boereoorlog, die Rebellie van 1914 en daarna die energie wat dit verg om 'n groot huisgesin te behartig. 'n Skerfie glas wys hoe die verlede, selfs die verre verlede, spore op latere geslagte laat.
Here is Mandela the statesman, the prisoner, the father, sometimes the joker, and occasionally the disciplinarian.
Mandela is shown in snapshot, in the memories of old friends like George Bizos, in the words of inspiring legends like Muhammad Ali, leading the Defiance Campaign against apartheid laws, or doing the famous Madiba shuffle to Ladysmith Black Mambazo with Queen Elizabeth II.
100 Mandela Moments is an accessible introduction to the man who so profoundly influenced the South Africa of today.
The story of his life that emerges is as varied and complex, as touching and inspiring, as Madiba himself
Drie hoera's vir die HELDE wat ons wêreld gemaak het wat dit vandag is. 100 Mense wat die wêreld verander het is propvol ware lewensverhale. Toer deur die wêreldgeskiedenis saam met beroemdes soos Aristoteles, Marie Curie en Mark Zuckerberg en vier die mense wat hulle stempel op die wêreld afgedruk het.
Ontmoet die grootste uitvinders, ontdekkingsreisigers, wetenskaplikes, invloedryke politieke leiers, denkers en skrywers en nog vele meer - lees hier wie het die wêreld verander en hoe hulle dit gedoen het.
Dr. Anton vertel self: 'In 13 klutse kwyt onthou ek 47 jaar en 14 betrekkings se werksituasies: verreweg die meeste daarvan interessant of komies of albei. Die soet, het ek aanvanklik gedink, behoort darem die bietjie suur te oorheers.
Maar die skryf hiervan het my 'n soeter les geleer: ek kon skielik insien dat die minder aangename toe te skryf was aan gefrustreerde kollegas wat deur die jare hulle werksdag gevrees het - iets wat die werksomgewing versuur het. En ek hoop dat ek uiteindelik die meeste van hulle met 'n sagter kwas geteer het.'
Dr. Anton Prinsloo het op 10-jarige leeftyd sy eerste stories in die kinderhoekie van die destydse koerant, Die Transvaler, gepubliseer en word sedertdien steeds deur taal betower. Hy het 13 betrekkings beklee voordat hy sy ideale werk by die SAUK as taaladviseur en omroeper raakgeloop het. Hy was onder meer voorsitter van die Taalkommissie van die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, van die Nasionale Taalliggaam vir Afrikaans en van die Komitee vir Taaladvies van die SAUK. Uit sy pen het ook verskyn Annerlike Afrikaans ('n woordeboek van kontreitaal), Feite, flaters, fiksie ('n versameling taaleienaardighede); Spreekwoorde en waar hulle vandaan kom; 'n woordeboek van hedendaagse Omgangsafrikaans, Sleng, en was mede-outeur saam met prof. F.F. Odendal van 'n normerende woordeboek, Afrikaans op sy beste. Hy het ook as medeouteur aan die Supplement van die Etimologiewoordeboek van Afrikaans meegewerk. Sy werk is bekroon deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, die FAK en die ATKV.
31 Years to Peel a Banana
How do you free your mind if you are trapped in a body that barely moves?
Phyllis Woolf is an inspiration. A Cerebal Palsy Quad, she has only partial use of her left hand, the rest of her body is inert. She uses an electric wheelchair to get around, and her movement is extremely restricted.
This is her journey from trying to survive to learning to thrive. Against all odds, she goes on to face her demons, get a degree, build a house, parasail, scuba dive, swim with dolphins, ride an elephant, travel the world and peel a banana.
Sassy, but warm, funny and deeply insightful, she uses her own life as an example of what we can achieve if we take responsibility for who we are. In a society obsessed by material things, she is a constant reminder that we are not defined merely by our physical appearance, but also by the capacity of our minds and spirit. Her insights offer profound inspiration and perspective for us all - disabled or not.
'We have all come to this world to work - it's just that some of us are in a wheelchair.
Dit is 'n ware verhaal van 'n tipe liefde wat min paartjies ooit sal ervaar, van geloof wat sterker word deur lyding en van vergifnis wat kragtiger is as menslike grense. Dit is die storie van 558 dae.
16 bladsye volkleur-foto's uit Yolande se persoonlike album, inskrywings uit Pierre se joernaal terwyl hy in aanhouding was en 'n roerende laaste brief van Yolande aan Pierre is in die boek ingesluit.
Yolande Korkie, die weduwee van Pierre Korkie, is in die VSA gebore, maar het op Suid-Afrikaanse bodem grootgeword. Voor hulle vertrek na Jemen het die egpaar en hulle twee kinders, Pieter-Ben en Lize-Mari, in die sonskyn van Sentraal-Suid-Afrika gewoon, gewerk, studeer en gebly. Yolande het 'n meestersgraad in Sielkunde en 'n diploma in Pastorale Berading. As huweliksmaat het sy die veelsydige Pierre in elke onderneming bygestaan en haar volledig met sy roeping as mentor in Jemen vereenselwig. Daar het sy die taal geleer deur onderwys, hulpverleningswerk en perdryklasse. Sy en die kinders woon tans in Bloemfontein, waar sy as dosent betrokke is by die Universiteit van die Vrystaat.
In this touching story, Yolande relives the couple's kidnapping and brutal severance from their children and life as they knew it. From the moment they were kidnapped until Yolande's release and then through to Pierre's tragic death during a failed rescue attempt, 558 Days recounts the Korkies' horrific ordeal.
Also included are 16 pages of full-colour photos from Yolande's personal photo album, excerpts from Pierre's personal journals written while in captivity and a moving letter written by Yolande to Pierre after his death.
Yolande Korkie is the widow of Pierre and mother of Peter and Lize. Born in the USA, but grown on South African soil, she holds a master's degree in Psychology and a diploma in Pastoral Counselling. As Pierre's helpmate, she supported him in his endeavours as if they were her own; farming, mentoring, and Yemen. There she lived the language through teaching, relief work and equestrian activities. They are currently living in South Africa and Yolande lectures at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein.
99 Dinge wat ek wil he my kinders moet weet
ie Springbok-rugbyheld, Joost van der Westhuizen, leef elke dag met die gedagte dat vandag sy laaste kan wees, nadat motorneuronsiekte by hom gediagnoseer is. In 99 dinge wat ek wil hê my kinders moet weet deel hy 99 lewenswaarhede waarmee sy siekte hom gekonfronteer het. Stap saam met Joost deur sy lewe en leer hoe om jóúne met groter wysheid en waardering te leef.
Brent Meersman's memoir of a humble yet eccentric upbringing in a Milnerton, Cape Town, flat in the 1970's and 1980's reads as a stirring eulogy to his schizophrenic mother, yet also as a vivid snapshot in time.
Traversing a home environment constantly on high alert for something to go wrong, waiting for his mother's fragile mental stability to shatter, not finding support in his father, whose drinking and absences from home took a punishing toll on the family, bred in the author an almost heroic resilience.
More than a decade ago Marita van der Vyver emigrated to France where she married a Frenchman and settled in the scenic countryside of Provence. Having become famous for a novel built on fairy tales, her life resembles that of a princess meeting her Prince Charming. Several bestsellers, much living and loving, and years later, they move - to another French village called Place of Frogs.
There are only two great certainties in a game ranger's career. The first is that you will never be well off. The second - and best by far - is that you will do things that most other people only get to dream about.
A Headmaster's Story
His holistic approach to teaching earned him the respect of both teachers and students. Teaching is not only about conveying knowledge, he believed, but also about looking after the emotional needs of students. For Schroder, the institution was never more important than the individual - he always put his students first. As a headmaster he became known for doing things his own way. He gave students a voice where others wanted to silence them, he found creative ways to turn problem schools around and never allowed departmental admin to get in the way of teaching. In the early 1990s when schools were opened to all races, Pretoria Boys High under him played a leading role in transforming their school. In his retirement he also served as a consultant and a mentor to a school in a Pretoria township.
In 1992, when her geologist husband was sent to a remote bush camp in Zimbabwe at a time of severe drought, Karen Paolilo stepped in to save the lives of a group of hippos who were going to die. With help from the British animal charity Care for the Wild International, she raised over 26 000 pounds to feed them and give them their own artificial water source as their habitat, the Turgwe River, had completely dried up.
The husband and wife team, with their Hippo friends, have been through natural disasters such as floods, land invasions and having their lives threatened by guns, mobs and violence. The area they now live in with the hippos is called the Save Valley Conservancy. Since Karen's intervention and the formation of the Turgwe Hippo Trust, the hippos have prospered, but not without severe stress and pressures upon her and her husband.
This is the story of her life, of how an English girl came to womanhood and found her dream, a dream that has at times been harder than one could ever have imagined.
Visit www.savethehippos.com for more information on the Turgwe Hippo Trust.