‘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...

Chaos unleashed. A student's death in Stellenbosch mountain wasn't an accident. A former special forces soldier killed as a message. To someone: "Keep your trap shut." A corrupt politician's body found in the bunker on the sixtreenth green of the Arabella golf estate. With a mysterious message written in the sand. A sensual game ranger, recruited as a honey trap for the biggest dollar heist in the country's history. And dark forces lurking in the halls of power trying to sabotage Benny...

Facing internal rebellion and the threat posed by German troops on South Africa’s borders, Prime Minister Louis Botha and his deputy, Jan Smuts, led the Union Defence Force during the First World War. Botha, Jan Smuts and the First World War by Antonio Garcia and Ian van der Waag is a first-of-a-kind volume that investigates the wartime roles of these two legendary yet divisive historical figures. In this episode of Pagecast, Antonio and Ian are in conversation with historian and author...

The First Murder on Mars This is the story of the first human being born on Mars: Rose Fuller, who saw a better future than the one that came to pass. And Dylan Ward, a woman raised in the vast wilderness of the frontier, who will find her way back to it. It’s a story about a man who went missing, and the man who wants to find out what he knew. It’s a story about what makes us human – and how we might live once we leave our home. The story of the first murder on Mars, by Sam Wilson. In...

Paris, 1936. Dora Maar, a talented photographer and painter, meets Pablo Picasso and is instantly drawn to his intense creativity. Their passionate relationship, marked by love, sadism, and Picasso's infidelities, pushes Dora to the edge. The Paris Muse, by Lousa Trejar is a fictional retelling of Dora's journey, set against the backdrop of Paris and the French Riviera. As Picasso paints Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, their relationship darkens. With World War II approaching and the...

Actor and musician Ian Roberts is something of a South African icon, renowned for his roles as the rugged Boer fighter Sloet Steenkamp in the TV series Arende and as Boet in the immortal and immensely popular Castrol advertisements. His book, Nomad Heart, offers a highly entertaining glimpse of how actors make the magic happen, whether on a theatre stage or before the TV cameras. In this episode of Pagecast, Ian is in conversation with the Books Editor at Netwerk24, Jo Prins. Enjoy!

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 incisive analysis, compassion and a sense of humour to some of the most controversial issues in our country for many years. And now, in this memoir, Jansen goes back to his early years: growing up in a loving, fiercely evangelical family on the Cape...

In Beeld 50 samesteller Erika de Beer, vertel dié geliefde koerant se joernaliste hoe hulle juis dit gedoen het deur die dekades en wat hulle steeds bybly van daardie ervaring. “Nooi, ek praat nie met julle nie. Julle lieg van bladsy een tot die einde . . . maar ek is nie so seker van die sport nie.” – “Kommandant-generaal” Fritz Meyer van die Wenkommando aan Carolien Saayman van Beeld Die afgelope halfeeu het meer as 15 000 uitgawes van Beeld verskyn met derduisende stories in woord en...

The ANC has ruled South Africa for three decades during which time the country has gone from the promise of the Rainbow Nation to disfunction and despair. In The Super Cadres, bestselling author Pieter du Toit examines this legacy from the early halcyon days through to the disappointment of the Ramaphosa presidency. Du Toit asks key questions before coming to a critical observation and a damning conclusion: What was the state of the ANC when it took power? Was ANC failure inevitable? Did...

In this episode of Pagecast at Open Book Cape Town, we’re excited to dive into the vibrant world of the Open Book Festival—a celebration of South African literature within an international context. Each year, the festival brings together a diverse range of voices, offering readers and writers alike the opportunity to connect with thought-provoking stories, groundbreaking ideas, and inspiring authors. In this special episode, Jonathan Ball Publishers' Publicity Manager, Jean-Marie Korff, sits...

Welcome to Pagecast at Open Book Cape Town, a special edition of the regular podcast brought to you by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Usually, we explore the latest in literature year-round, but today, we're coming to you straight from the heart of the Open Book Festival—Cape Town's annual celebration of South African literature in an international context. In these festival-exclusive episodes, we sit down with some of the most inspiring voices in literature to delve into their stories, insights,...

Welcome to Pagecast at Open Book Cape Town, a special edition of the regular podcast brought to you by Jonathan Ball Publishers. While we usually explore the latest in literature throughout the year, in this episode we're broadcasting directly from the Open Book Festival—Cape Town's annual celebration of South African literature in an international context. In these festival-exclusive episodes, we sit down with some of the most inspiring voices in literature to dive deep into their stories,...

Welcome to Pagecast at Open Book Cape Town, a special edition of the regular podcast brought to you by Jonathan Ball Publishers. While we usually explore the latest in literature throughout the year, in this episode we're broadcasting directly from the Open Book Festival—Cape Town's annual celebration of South African literature in an international context. In these festival-exclusive episodes, we sit down with some of the most inspiring voices in literature to dive deep into their stories,...

Welcome to Pagecast at Open Book Cape Town, a special edition of the regular podcast brought to you by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Usually, we explore the latest in literature year-round, but in this episode, we're coming to you straight from the heart of the Open Book Festival—Cape Town's annual celebration of South African literature in an international context. In these festival-exclusive episodes, we sit down with some of the most inspiring voices in literature to delve into their stories,...

Welcome to Pagecast at Open Book Cape Town, a special edition of the regular podcast brought to you by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Usually, we explore the latest in literature year-round, but in this episode, we're coming to you straight from the heart of the Open Book Festival—Cape Town's annual celebration of South African literature in an international context. In these festival-exclusive episodes, we sit down with some of the most inspiring voices in literature to delve into their stories,...

“Dis politici wat oorlog verklaar, nie ons nie. Ons het gedoen wat ons geglo het ons moes doen en hulle [die vyand] ook . . .” - Marco Caforio, ouddienspligtige Op 10 Junie 1980 gedurende 'n eindelose dag van bloedige gevegte onder die Angolese son is 13 lede van die Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag dood en etlike beseer toe 61 Gemeganiseerde Bataljon Groep 'n kompleks van Swapo-basisse in die suide van Angola aangeval het. Gedurende Operasie Sceptic het tweede luitenant Paul Louw sy peleton in vier...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode is an incredibly special one, as the Mayor of Cape Town - Geordin Hill-Lewis is in conversation with South African award winning documentary filmmaker, naturalist, and founder of the Sea Change Project - Craig Foster. Craig’s latest book - Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World is a thrilling memoir of a life spent exploring the most incredible places on Earth—from the...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode features Killer Stories - Conversations with South African serial murderers! ‘If you made me angry, for that anger to go away, I have to get hold of you . . . I have to do something to you.’ These chilling words were spoken by one of South Africa’s most feared serial killers during an interview with Brin Hodgs-kiss in one of the country's most secure prisons. Hodgskiss earned his...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode features We Were Perfect Parents Until We Had Children by Vanessa Raphaely and Karin Schimke Having kids is a baffling endeavour beset with sulk, 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...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode features Crash and Burn by Glenn Orsmond. This insider’s tale, narrated by Glenn Orsmond, chronicles the South African airline industry over the past thirty years, highlighting the dramatic collapse of Comair in 2022. Orsmond, twice the CEO of Comair and founder CEO of 1time, guides readers through the fiercely competitive low-cost airline sector that surged after the 1990s. Comair,...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode features Rhodes and His banker by Richard Steyn. *Rhodes and his Banker* is an account of the remarkable friendship between a larger-than-life historical figure and a modest, unassuming banker, both of whom were personally involved in all the major political and financial developments in Southern Africa during the closing decades of the 19th century. Intertwining dual narratives of...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode features Gaslight by Femi Kayode. In this follow-up to Kayode's "action-packed and spirited debut" Philip Taiwo returns to solve a missing-persons case, and in so doing, uncovers dark secrets the church has worked tirelessly to hide. From the very first chapter, Femi Kayode’s Gas Light immerses you in a world brimming with drama, psychological twists, and intrigue. Kayode's...

Thank you for tuning into this episode of Pagecast, presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Today's episode features Gaslight by Femi Kayode. In this follow-up to Kayode's "action-packed and spirited debut" Philip Taiwo returns to solve a missing-persons case, and in so doing, uncovers dark secrets the church has worked tirelessly to hide. From the very first chapter, Femi Kayode’s Gas Light immerses you in a world brimming with drama, psychological twists, and intrigue. Kayode's...

High Times is the true story of Michael Medjuck, whose taste for weed, women and the good life led him from late-1960s Johannesburg to notoriety as one of the biggest hash and weed smugglers in North America. From his base in Vancouver, Michael built up a smuggling network that supplied dealers in scores of cities across Canada and the United States. The proceeds of smuggling afforded this former King David High School pupil a lifestyle of hedonistic excess – the finest wines, the most...