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My Guru & I is an absorbing account of the journey of Patrick Neville Booth from his early childhood in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal Province, where his life was built around his great-grandmother and the three generations that received her loving guidance to his years searching for purpose and meaning. After many adventures, he arrives at the feet of a ''Mauritian saint'' giving darshan in Johannesburg.  Here with candid self-reflection, enthusiasm and sincerity, he depicts his inner voyage of transformation. He takes the reader on a mystical journey across India, England and Europe where he does battle with his ego and his own negative tendencies and connects with the inner divine energy. Under the guidance of Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda, he emerged from twenty five years of continuous unfolding as a brahmachari and later, Swami Vishwaparanthapananda. My Guru & I  will inspire readers to awaken to their true Self and fulfil their highest potential.

Like looking into a mirror, the poet surveys his life and relationships asking probing questions, making resolutions along the way ñ ''be willing to hear from the seasons'' he writes, evoking ideas of looking to nature for wisdom, of the ever-changing character of life and the promise of growth that the reflective life yields. His words do not dance in vague mystery, rather they march with focus and clarity like soldiers on a mission. - ATHOL WILLIAMS: Poet

Each poem captures the resilience and ugliness of prejudice. – Dr Phumzile Mlambo NgcukaLawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu has assembled an essential anthology on race and racism. It chronicles the plethora of race-based prejudices that seem to be an ingredient of our very being as humans. Devoid of anger, even as it is so impassioned, this collection is a very worthwhile read and singularly relevant for contemporary, global society. – Mavuso MsimangIn a time when the struggle is between the responsibility of remembering and the danger of forgetting, we are called to conscientiousness. In this book, Ndlovu bottles the tension between memory and the forging of a future in the most delicate way. Not only does he boast exquisite talents as a writer, but he also makes a gallant attempt to remind us about what is now at stake. – Xhanti Payi

Soweto during the 1970s was riven with violence and brutality, the brunt of which was borne by the young people of that period, who took the lead in the struggle against apartheid oppression. Himself a product of the era, Sol Rachilo turned both to science and to art as he strove to depict the atmosphere and the emotions of the people of those tumultuous times. Not relying solely on his own deeply engraved memories, he spent 18 months researching the events which swirled around the Morris Isaacson High School, a magnet for the activists and intellectuals of the time. The book especially highlights the happenings of 1976 and 1977, two years of strife in this politically charged township which was the home of all the founding fathers of what Sol calls, ,our cherished freedom, , Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Nthato Motlana, Desmond Tutu, Mothopeng and Sobukwe.

The strength of Mandela the Spear and other Poems lies in Okaiis burning desire to celebrate the black experience and culture, through the iconic figures who symbolize those struggles and triumphs. Thus, not surprisingly, one encounters names like Mandela, Nadine Gordimer, Amilcar Cabral, Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, to name a few. Okai has long established himself as one of the towering figures in the field of modern African poetry in English. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of a vigorous reinvention of the poetic genre that revolutionized the poet/audience relationship, changed the mode of expression from scriptography to narratology, and the role of the audience from that of passive reception to active participation.

Soweto during the 1970s was riven with violence and brutality, the brunt of which was borne by the young people of that period, who took the lead in the struggle against apartheid oppression. Himself a product of the era, Sol Rachilo turned both to science and to art as he strove to depict the atmosphere and the emotions of the people of those tumultuous times. Not relying solely on his own deeply engraved memories, he spent 18 months researching the events which swirled around the Morris Isaacson High School, a magnet for the activists and intellectuals of the time. The book especially highlights the happenings of 1976 and 1977, two years of strife in this politically charged township which was the home of all the founding fathers of what Sol calls, iour cherished freedomi n Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Nthato Motlana, Desmond Tutu, Mothopeng and Sobukwe.

The collection of poems is an intriguing reflection of the sometimes torturous evolution of inner self which so many South Africans face as they struggle to find who they are in a multicultural society that espouses the values of traditional culture while reaching for the promise of a global community. Thus the blend of Xhosa and English as Ntsiki strives to merge her modern views with cultural roots. She feels strongly the need to reclaim her culture and language and blend them within the context of a cosmopolitan society. She captures the ìvibe and energyî of young South Africa and its blossoming as well as its quandaries. Ntsiki does not hesitate to deal with controversial and painful issues, such as rape, and her work challenges the reader to stop and think, really think. The quest for self expression and self-understanding echoes throughout the book and through it, she exhorts the reader to have the courage to explore and understand himself. Underlying many poems is the unspoken but burning desire that, by telling the truth, she will create possibilities for others to do the same. In many ways, ìWenaî is a celebration of life. The poems brim over with Ntsikiís own desire to drink to the full and then go out there and pour love and life out into the world. The manner in which she distills meaning and value from the negative is perhaps best expressed in her own words, from the poem, ìI choose lifeî:

Bless Me Father is the true story of an incredible South African life. Born into a violent and broken family, and growing up in a variety of institutions, Cape Town based poet and writer Mario d''Offizi tells his remarkable, often shocking and ultimately inspiring life adventure - one that spans several decades in a country undergoing radical change. From his tough days at Boys Town to wild years in the advertising world, a stint in the restaurant business and a sharp edged journalistic adventure in the DRC, d''Offizi tells his critically acclaimed story with the unfailing sensitivity and warmth of a true poet.

This book memorialising the life and work of Ali Al�amin Mazrui comprises more than 130 tributes written by people ranging from heads of state to journalists. Presented here are those tributes for which copyright permissions were received from among the hundreds that appeared online and print. In preparing this book, it was made very clear that, unlike other books of tributes to great men and women, there would be no segmentation of the sections based on writers� and speakers� positions in life. Instead, it was decided that the tributes be presented in alphabetical order based on writers� and speakers� last names. The decision hinged on the fact that Mazur would not have apposed any segmentation of people by class, race, ethnicity and gender etc. Nonetheless, out of great respect for Mazur�s immediate family members, their tributes are presented first, followed by those from his global family members. Also included at the beginning of the book are three chapters that comprise an introductory essay, a brief biography of Mazur, and an essay on metaphorical-linguistic analysis of the tributes that follow. The book also has a preface by the coeditors and a forward by Salim Ahmed Salim, the former Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania and Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the Africa Union. Dr. Salim, who served as the Secretary-General of the OAU from 1989 to 2001, was Mazuri�s friend and contemporary. Mazruri once described Salim as �Mr Africa� and the �first real postcolonial Secretary-General of the OAU.

''Lives on the Line is a gripping espionage thriller where trust is a gamble, and the price of tallure could be death. Africa has no doubt provided us with a long overdue text. IMRAAN BUCCUS: Editor - Al Qalam.''This book provides an insider account of how an intelligence-led policing effort to manage urban terrorism in South Africa met with success.'' GRAEME P.HERD: George C.Marshall European Centre for Security Studies ( GCMC), Germany.''The defeat of Pagad stands out as one of the most dramatic intelligence achievements in the democratic era.'' KGALEMA MOTLANTHE: Former President of South Africa.

''The attainment of liberty was the first decisive step in the path of reconstruction and development: a path that sought to harness the life experiences, skills, energies and aspirations of the people of South Africa towards the complete eradication of apartheid and its vestiges, as well as the building of a united democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous future for all. However, the road ahead remains long, steep and winding. More still needs to be done to translate our freedom into profound socio-economic change in the lives of many South Africans, to whom the great promise and optimism of 1994 has given way to disappointment and hopelessness. In this collection of poetry, Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu retraces our steps as a nation from the period immediately preceding freedom and democracy in 1994 to where we are 25 years later''.

A historicist interpretation of how the Christian religion, whose theology had notoriously been used to foster coloniality and explicitly nurture apartheid philosophy, had transformed itself into an intellectual force and an organisational bulwark of the struggle for freedom in South Africa. This is presented through documents and statements of the ecumenical movement which attest to the development of successive theological positions that were being arraigned against the apartheid regime. The reflection covers the period from the year 1960, which signaled the beginning of an identifiable Christian tradition of protest against political oppression and repression in South Africa, that is, from the Cottesloe Conference following the Sharpeville Massacre, to the ''Standing for the Truth Campaign'' on the eve of FW De klerk''s February 2 1990 Speech in Parliament. The gallant resistance of the people and the churches of South Africa is presented here as both a living record of the tumultuous past, and an inspiration for new local and global struggles.

The Politics of South African Football is the story of people whose vehement resistance and declaration that there could be ëno normal sport in an abnormal societyí proved to be a powerful antidote to the apartheid governmentís assurances that ëall was wellí. Oshebeng Alphie Koonyaditse gives an inspiring account of the event-filled journey that led to that memorable Saturday of May 15, 2004. For the first time in World Cup history South Africa, and indeed Africa, won the right to host the nations of the world at the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Yet, South African football history began long before that, and in fact goes back to before the formation of FIFA in 1904.

This selection of poems - covering the years from 1980 to the present day - expresses the poets personal attempts at making sense of the everyday, ordinary difficulties, and the small victories of life. The offering emphasises, sometimes in an exploratory suggestiveness, how differences should not be divisive and that they form part of the range of ways in which we belong to - and are of - each other.

Shauwn ''Mamkhize'' Mkhize is a larger than life personality who, like her father and brother before her, is loved and misunderstood in equal measure. Her combination of political and business acumen runs in her family, and so is her ability to garner the sometimes-grudging admiration of those who have followed her rise to fame and fortune in the democratic dispensation. In her memoir, Mamkhize: My World, My Rules, this remarkable businesswoman shares the details of her cloistered but privileged childhood, which was torn asunder by the assassination of her father and the subsequent quest by her brother to avenge his death. She tells the story of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from her unique vantage point, as a family member of a victim. As a young accounting graduate freshly returned from an overseas experience, Shauwn lands what initially seems to be a dream job with the multinational corporation that had sponsored her training abroad. It soon dissipates into disappointment - work that receives insufficient pay and she bravely ventures into business. In this book, she dispels the urban legends about her wealth, family, marriage and subsequent divorce. She reflects on the much-publicized story of her reinvention as Mamkhize, the soccer boss, and shares the lessons that she has learned from the experiences that life has given her. A woman with incredible agency, Mamkhize allows the reader a glimpse into her family life and her formative years. She illuminates how they have shaped the woman that she is today. Not one to reveal every single trick of her trades (after all, she is the business), Shauwn Mkhize manages to regale without spoiling her aura of mystique. While touching the reader with her love for her parents, siblings and children, this memoir displays the dexterity with which she navigates modern life while striving to maintain a sense of tradition that keeps her grounded.