AMAMPONDOMISE, A Story of Resilience
R300.00
The history of the AmaMpondomise nation: its origins, royal lineage and heritage, the wars it fought, its disintegration as a result of colonialism and apartheid, and its recognition and restoration as a kingdom in 2019.
Samkelo Callaway Mtwana is a descendant of Nkosi Cwerha, the eldest son of King Ntose of AmaMpondomise. He was born in the Tsolo district of the Eastern Cape province, went to Jongilizwe College for sons of traditional leaders, and studied law at the University of Transkei (now Walter Sisulu University of Technology).
Author(s): Samkelo Callaway Mtwana
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As the body count rises, a tough, trigger happy special prosecutor realises that his efforts at putting murderers behind the bars are all for naught. In his efforts to unmask the extra-judicial executioners, he teams up with two top detectives and a young streetwise court interpreter. But do they have what it takes to stop the mysterious assassins?
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Basetsana Kumalo shot to fame as a fresh-faced Miss South Africa in 1994 and soon became the face of South Africa’s new democracy. As the first black presenter of the glamorous lifestyle TV show Top Billing, she travelled the world and interviewed superstars like Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson, Jon Bon Jovi, Will Smith, the Bee Gees, Gloria Estefan and Luther Vandross. After a successful career in television, Bassie’s drive and ambition took her into the world of business. The street savvy that her entrepreneurial mother gave her stood her in good stead as she built a media empire. When she married the handsome businessman Romeo Kumalo in a fairytale wedding, they became South Africa’s sweethearts and ‘it’ couple.
Bassie: My Journey Of Hope recounts the stories of Bassie’s life as a celebrity, including her relationships with mentors like Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela- Mandela and Graça Machel. She also shares the secrets of her success and all the lessons she’s learnt along the way, and opens up about the pressures of her high-profile marriage to Romeo, their heartbreaking struggle to have a family, and how they made sure that their loving and respectful union has lasted two decades.
Bassie also talks frankly about the domestic abuse she suffered at the hands of boxer Dingaan Thobela and the legal battles she had to fight to protect her name and her brand over the years. She gives her account of the stalker who harassed her for decades, and the nonexistent ‘sex-tape’ allegation that rocked her family and career, leading to painful experiences of cyber-bullying. It is an intimate, inspiring and entertaining account of a remarkable life.
Author(s): Basetsana Kumalo
It is well known that the African National Congress was formed in 1912 and is considered the oldest political organisation on the African continent. What is often not widely known is that the person who founded it was one Pixley ka Isaka Seme, a thirty-year-old black South African from Inanda outside the city of Durban.
What is remarkable about Seme’s achievement in founding the ANC is not only that he succeeded where most had failed at forging black political unity. It is also the speed at which he did it. He had just returned to South Africa from the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where he had been a student since he was a teenager. In slightly over a year the founding conference of the ANC was convened and he was at its helm as the main organiser.
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Author: Bongani Ngqulunga
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He touches on and illuminates the personalities of many influential men and women in South Africa’s early democratic governments. But the heart of Mavimbela’s narrative lies in his unique experience of working as a top administrator and counsellor in the offices of Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. In the most intimate detail, he describes the emergence and escalation of the conflict between those two flawed principals. He captures the drama of their struggle and its destructive fallout for the new South African state.
Mavimbela offers a potent warning: loyalty and long service to a political party is no guarantee of wise and effective leadership.
Author: Vusi Mavimbela
Our lives are full of wounds that sometimes they are so painful in so much that we find it difficult to move forward or to live our lives to the fullest. Those wounds are holding us back, as there is no cure for them.
Author: Nonzukiso Dibela
Returning to the family homestead in the Eastern Cape these holidays, and worried that your city ways and less than perfect knowledge of Xhosa culture will get you a wagging finger in the face from oomalume – the uncles? No need to fret, Don’t Upset ooMalume! offers an easy solution. This book, written by Xhosa ambassador and agriculturalist Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka, aims to capture the essence of Xhosa heritage and culture and explores the many unique characteristics of village life.
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I tried channelling my powers so I could reach the ancestors for help but they all turned their backs on me and their voices fell silent. I felt my gift dwindle away, slowly like someone was sucking the energy right out of my soul. As the last wisp of the strength left my body
Author: Yvonne Maphosa
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Author(s): Elinor Sisulu
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He is speaking in a hushed tone, as if this is a forbidden subject. ‘He said there were twins here, boys. He said their father died on the day they were born.’ He stops and squints as if trying to remember something. ‘I’m not sure if I’m getting the story right, but there were other twins before, but they all died. The father must have done something because these two lived, only them, and then he died. They were good children, that’s what my father said, but then one day they must have been 14 years old…’ He stops when he hears a gasp.
‘What happened? What did they do?’ Qhawe asks. ‘They killed a priest. He was one of those that were recruiting people o join a church, and most people here believed him and followed him. He built a school and stuff. The twins went to that school. But he must have made them very angry because…’ ‘How did they kill him?’-Mqhele
The man shrugs before he speaks. ‘From what I was told, they slit his throat and left him sitting on a chair, bleeding to death.’ There’s silence. The man is telling the story like its an urban legend, but they know, it is a familiar one. ‘Is that what you wanted to know?’ the man asks, looking at Sisekelo. He doesn’t answer. ‘So, what happened to the twins’ mother?’ Qhawe asks. The man sighs deeply. ‘They burnt her alive.’
Author: Dudu Busani-Dube
My mother was raped and I was born. This is the scar reminding me of my painful past. Rape is beyond what one may perceive; it leaves trails of physical and emotional scars to any victim.
With all being said, I perceive life as a relay; it’s all about the finishing line, not the challenges. Do not dismiss yourself from the pitch without the coach’s (God’s) approval.
Author: Scelo Mncube
Vusumzi – :
Thank you
Zakhele Bam – :
Excellent story to rell