PAGECAST

The 2023 Rugby World Cup in France begins on September 8th and ends on October 28th.

All eyes are on the Springboks, winners of the 2019 World Cup. Can they win again?

Join Nick Mallett, a renowned coach and commentator, as he delves into the tournament's core questions.

The book, "Insights into the Rugby World Cup," is a must-read for everyone, whether a sports fan or not.

In this Pagecast episode, Nick Mallett discusses the book with co-author Lloyd Burnard, also the Sports Editor of News24.

Enjoy the conversation, and let's hope the Springboks lead us to victory!

In this episode of Pagecast, business author and journalist T.J. Strydom chats with Michael Vlismas regarding his latest book Elon Musk: Risking it all.

About the book:

Often in the news for his entrepreneurial exploits and his controversial tweets, Elon Musk is one of the richest and best-known people on earth. In 2022 he made headlines worldwide with his bid to buy Twitter. Who is this boundary-pushing billionaire with grand plans of inhabiting Mars, and what lies at the heart of his vision? Why is he so utterly unafraid of risk?

As an awkward Pretoria schoolboy who loved comics and science fiction, Musk’s early years and singular family background were crucial in forming his stellar ambitions. Journalist and author Michael Vlismas, who attended the same high school as Musk, knows well the environment that shaped him and offers new insights into Musk’s development, including his troubled relationship with his father.

Tracing his remarkable life, from his South African childhood to his move to Canada at 17 and then to the US – where Musk made millions out of PayPal and built Tesla and SpaceX into two of the world’s most famous companies – this is the story of a man driven to preserve the optimism he sees in humanity and find a future for humans ‘out there among the stars’

About Michael:

Michael Vlismas is an award-winning journalist and author of six books, including biographies with Gary Player, Schalk Burger Snr and Tim Noakes. He lives in Somerset West near Cape Town with his wife and two sons.

In this episode of Pagecast, international speaker, entrepreneur, naturalist and adventurer Quinton Coetzee chats with Author, Conservationist, Social Entrepreneur and Wildlife Educator Grant Fowlds regarding The Buck That Buries its Poo!

Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

And why do flamingos stand on one leg while bats hang upside down?

Did you know that a chameleon’s tongue can shoot out at five times the acceleration of a fighter jet?

In The Buck That Buries its Poo, naturalist Quinton Coetzee answers these and many other intriguing wildlife questions. He also dispels countless myths and elucidates some of the legends that surround creatures in the South African bush we thought we knew all about.

For example, bats do not get tangled in people’s hair (because they are far too adept at flying) and elephants are not afraid of mice (but they do fear bees!). Other tall tales you might hear around the campfire are that lions roll in animal dung, entrails or carcasses to disguise their scent, and that rhinos have a predilection for stamping out fires. What is true, though, is that hyenas are more closely related to cats than to dogs.

This handy guide is based on Coetzee’s own research and that of others, and his experience gleaned over decades living close to nature and wildlife. It seeks to unravel the mysteries of nature in Africa – from mammals and birds to arthropods and plants – with fascinating information and fun trivia. It is a book that will enlighten and entertain. PS: Zebras are black with white stripes!

In this episode of Pagecast, Michael Morris, Head Of Media at South African Institute of Race Relations speaks with author Anthea Jeffery regarding her latest book,

Countdown to Socialism.

About the book:

The National Democratic Revolution (NDR) is the policy blueprint of the governing ANC/SACP alliance, who have been implementing it in different spheres for more than two decades. It is intended to provide ‘the most direct route’ to a socialist South Africa and is the key to understanding events in the country since the 1994 transition.

Although many important steps towards Expropriation without Compensation and other NDR objectives have already been taken or are well in train, most South Africans have never been informed about the NDR and its destructive goals. With growth stalling, joblessness at crisis levels, and governance unravelling, people cannot fathom why the ANC does not implement meaningful reforms. Understand the NDR, however, and its underlying priorities become apparent.

If South Africa’s mainly capitalist economy was thriving, with high growth, low unemployment, and rising living standards, the ANC could not justify expanding state ownership or control. By contrast, with joblessness and destitution at unprecedented levels, the call for state provision and control becomes far more compelling – and even patently harmful policies such as Expropriation without Compensation seem justifiable.

When Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance was discovered below the Antarctic ice in March 2022, 106 years after it sank, the world thrilled anew with one of the greatest survival stories of all time.

Acclaimed South African writer Darrel Bristow-Bovey has a deeply personal relationship with the story of Endurance and in this lyrical journey into past and present, into humanity and the natural world, above and below the Antarctic ice, he revisits the famous story wondering why it seems to mean more today than ever before. 

Drawing on literature, natural history, personal memoir and the thrilling epics of polar adventure, this is a celebration of the human spirit. If this story tells us anything, it’s that in the face of a self-inflicted natural disaster, we can still pull off a miracle or two.

Darrel sat down with South African author Mphuthumi Ntabeni at the book lounge in Cape Town to delve into one of the greatest stories of all time. Enjoy this episode of Pagecast!

CEOs can build up a business from nothing or turn around a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Inspiring with their relentless drive, strong leadership and innovation that can turn whole industries on their heads, they are the dynamos of our economy.

What is the X factor that ensures a CEO’s success? KC Chesaina seeks to uncover the unique personality traits, business acumen and leadership values that have turned CEOs into captains of industry.

Based on extensive research and focused interviews with the leaders of some of South Africa’s top companies, including Vodacom, Bidvest, Capitec Bank, RMB, Dis-Chem, Discovery Health, Nedbank, Sanlam, Momentum, Curro, Exxaro, Harmony Gold and MTN, Chesaina’s book takes you to the heart of corporate South Africa.

In this episode of Pagecast, we have the pleasure of listening to KC in conversation with Rolland Simpi Motaung, avid reader, book reviewer, founder, educator, and facilitator at Trymph Education.

Enjoy this episode!

Welcome to Pagecast, the book-centred podcast series presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. In this episode, international best-selling South African author Lauren Beukes chats with Sam Beckbessinger and Dale Halvorsen, co-authors of Girls of Little Hope.

Three girls went into the woods. Only two came back, covered in blood and with no memory of what happened. Or did they? Being fifteen is tough – tougher when you live in a boring-ass small town in 1996.

Donna, Rae and Kat keep each other sane with the fervour of teen friendships, zine-making and some amateur sleuthing into the town's most enduring mysteries: a lost gold mine, and why little Ronnie Gaskins burned his parents alive a decade ago. Their hunt will lead them to a hidden cave from which only two of them return alive.

As the police investigate, Rae and Donna will have to return to the cave where they discover a secret so shattering that no-one who encounters it will ever be the same.

SAM BECKBESSINGER is the author of the bestselling Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grownup Grownup (over 70 000 copies sold). She’s also a cartoon scriptwriter, has published three picture books for young children, and wrote for Marvel’s Jessica Jones: Playing with Fire on Realm. Sam gets way too excited about gross body fluids and spreadsheets. She lives in London.

DALE HALVORSEN is a writer and internationally award-winning book cover designer for authors like Lauren Beukes and Nnedi Okorafo. He is the co-creator of the Vertigo original horror series Survivors’ Club together with Lauren Beukes and artist Ryan Kelly. It is currently in development as a TV series. Dale lives in Cape Town.

In this episode, CEO of Jonathan Ball Publishers, Eugene Ashton, chats with Author and Historian Charles van Onselen about his new book, Three Wise Monkeys.

In some settings, such as Ireland, contiguous Catholic and Protestant states are often not conducive to good relations or neighbourliness. In colonial and imperial southern Africa, formal inter-state arrangements took place at the expense of a third party – subjected African peoples.

Three Wise Monkeys explores some of the contradictions, silences and oversights, and working misunderstandings that arise when an emerging Anglophone, Protestant, industrial and urbanising state – South Africa – develops side by side with Mozambique – a Lusophone, Catholic, commercial, rural colony.

In three volumes, Charles van Onselen examines the intertwined relations between South Africa and Portugal’s chronically weak east coast colony, as expressed through the migrant labour system, the tourist trade, the rise and fall of LM Radio and the extraordinary tale of the Lourenço Marques Lottery.

These areas constituted zones of cross-cultural, transnational interaction that both states were reluctant to acknowledge formally, choosing instead to ‘see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil’ for much of the 20th century.

Three Wise Monkeys presents a startling new way of viewing the entangled, often hidden, economic, political and social dynamics that informed the rise of 20th-century South Africa, often at the expense of neighbouring Mozambique.

Join Tecla Ciolfi, Founder & Editor of Texx and the City, as she sits down with the bestselling author Coco Mellors to delve into her captivating debut novel, CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN. This addictive, humorous, and poignant story follows the whirlwind romance between Cleo, a young artist struggling to find her place in New York, and Frank, a charismatic older man with a life of success and excess. Their impulsive marriage sets off a chain reaction, impacting not just their own lives but also those of their friends and family. For fans of Modern Lovers and Conversations with Friends, this novel is a must-read. Tune in to learn more about Mellors' writing process and the inspiration behind her work! 📖

#CleopatraAndFrankenstein #CocoMellors #DebutNovel #RomanceNovels #LiteraryFiction #BookLovers #NewBookRelease #Pagecast #TexxAndTheCity #BookDiscussion #BookPodcast #BlueSisters #booktok

Welcome to Pagecast, the book-centred podcast series presented by Jonathan Ball Publishers. In this episode, Shaun de Waal, News24 Books Editor, interviews South African writer Jonny Steinberg about his latest book, "Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage."

In this captivating book, Steinberg explores the marriage between Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. As Mandela spent years in prison, his love for Winnie grew, portraying her in his letters as an idealized version of his wife, frozen in time like young lovers. However, Winnie, who was his political equal, became increasingly distant from her husband's political beliefs.

Behind Mandela's back, Winnie attempted to orchestrate an armed seizure of power, a path that he feared would lead to an endless war. Jonny Steinberg narrates the compelling story of this extraordinary marriage, delving into its desires, obsessions, and betrayals, while also weaving it into the political tapestry of South African history.

"Winnie and Nelson" is a modern epic that demonstrates how the trauma within a marriage can reverberate throughout an entire nation. It also resembles a Shakespearean drama, intertwining themes of love, commitment, and timeless questions about revolution, such as seeking retribution versus pursuing a negotiated peace.

With powerful and tender emotional insight, Steinberg reveals the extent to which these inseparable leaders would go for each other, as well as the boundaries they set. Ultimately, they understood that their union was not just a marriage, but a struggle to define the policies of anti-apartheid.

Thank you for listening, and enjoy this episode of Pagecast.

About Jonny Steinberg:

Jonny Steinberg is the author of several books about everyday life in the wake of South Africa’s transition to democracy. He is a two-time winner of South Africa’s premier non-fiction prize, the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award, and an inaugural winner of the Donald Windham-Sandy M. Campbell Literature Prizes. Until 2020, he was professor of African studies at Oxford University, and he currently teaches part-time at Yale and is visiting professor at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (Wiser).