Litnet

This conversation on land, constitutional law and social justice took place at the Etienne van Heerden Veldsoirée 2023. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi is a member of the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) and an acting judge at the Land Claims Court.

"There’s an inherent risk of disharmony in this, but most amazingly the symphony of the book is melodious, and it fluently overlaps in a pleasing manner that doesn’t tax the reader’s concentration powers. I am sure it owes that not only to the writer’s skills, but also to those of the book editor. It is superbly achieved."

"In essence, the journey began when he chose to study Afrikaans, which, it must be admitted, was a little strange for an Indian boy in the ’80s."

"The literary controversy by author Elizabeth Gilbert, of the popular book Eat pray love, seems to have passed unnoticed on South Africa’s literary scene ... She delayed its publication indefinitely after receiving flak from Ukraine supporters and citizens."

"The new thing among African juntas is leeching on the grievances of the demos, that is, pretending to be (and celebrated as) a liberating force – at the beginning at least – before also creating a pattern similar to that of the new elite."

"The pleasing thing about this graphic novel – or comic book, in the parlance of this old-timer – is how it teaches not only old African beliefs, but also that ancient wisdom can be adopted to support the protection of our ecosystem."

"Brics must be more of a foundation for economic growth with equal partners, and not be another cause for global political insecurity. The colonial mentality we resent from the West we shall not tolerate from the East either."

"It is a common thing in the South African political scene, approaching elections, that every political party takes its campaign line mark from the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) to jumpstart the race - by a rowdy form of political assertion. This usually takes a form of its cultish leader, Julius Malema, igniting the tinder by doing something deliberately controversial, like singing the 'Kill the Boer' song."

"When the remains of Endurance were found, Knowledge Bhengu was the captain of Agulhas. Bristow-Bovey tells, in a sympathetic way, how a young black boy from rural KZN ended up being a marine captain of note. The book is researched comprehensively, its narrative style topically eclectic and lyrical tonally. The book is a mixture of natural sciences, geography, polar adventures and historical facts that are told in accessible language, in chapters with personal memoirs and other curiosities."

"This is how Cardo argues: he admits the truth, then airbrushes it to excuse his subject’s failures."

"All the same, I commend the book for delineating well the pathological symptoms of worshiping Mammon, even if it doesn’t provide pressure valves to let off the steam. We may, as I indicated, argue that the artist’s duty is only to mirror our society back on itself. Alas, that attitude is easier said until, like me, you become a parent. Then you worry about the tremendous influence art has in depicting to overly impressionable youth misdirected shortcuts of success."

"There was just a clear flow of eloquence, with lessons obviously learned over years through the trial and error of applying ancient wisdom to living situations. Within no time, I was hooked."

"In a way, for me, writing is another kind of view of the world, with words and sentences and stanzas that seem to have allowed me to redefine myself under the trees: to re-see."

"This book is a critique not only of the publishing world, but of our Western culture and late-capitalism-induced way of life."

"Lastly, I dream of an Africa that honours its own identity and looks after its cultural/historical heritage. Of a new African consciousness – not just in politics, but in a deeper worldview of environmental respect that arises from the philosophy of Ubuntu bethu, which we inherited from our forefathers and ancestors."