Alan Knott-Craig is an entrepreneur, author, and founder of fibertime™ , aiming to eradicate the digital divide through innovative pay-as-you-go fibre internet solutions for townships. His smash bestseller Don’t Panic based on an email to employees was published in 2008. He lives in Stellenbosch.

Ferial Haffajee, recipient of the 2014 International Press Freedom Award, is one of South Africa’s most trusted and respected journalists. She is known for her clear-cut political analysis and unwavering dedication to the truth. Haffajee worked in numerous print and online newsrooms, including holding the position of editor at City Press and the Mail & Guardian, before joining Daily Maverick as associate editor. Her first book What if There Were no Whites in South Africa? was released in 2015 and Days of Zondo: The Fight for Freedom from Corruption in 2022.

Ferial Haffajee, recipient of the 2014 International Press Freedom Award, is one of South Africa’s most trusted and respected journalists. She is known for her clear-cut political analysis and unwavering dedication to the truth. Haffajee worked in numerous print and online newsrooms, including holding the position of editor at City Press and the Mail & Guardian, before joining Daily Maverick as associate editor. Her first book What if There Were no Whites in South Africa? was released in 2015 and Days of Zondo: The Fight for Freedom from Corruption in 2022.

Joanne Macgregor is the author of seventeen books, across multiple genres and pen names. Under the name Jo Macgregor, she writes gripping, unpredictable crime mysteries such as The First Time I Died, The First Time I Fell, The First Time I Hunted, The First Time I Knocked, and Dark Whispers (translated into the Afrikaans Skadustemme). Joanne Macgregor is also a counselling psychologist in private practice, and she brings her twenty-six years of experience as a therapist to her writing, creating deep, complex characters and more realistic psychological reactions. She lives in beautiful Plettenberg Bay, is in love with nature and chilies, and despairs of ever properly training her charm-monster of a beagle!

Prof. Johan Fourie is Professor of Economics at Stellenbosch University. He is a founding member of the African Economic History Network and director of LEAP, the Laboratory for the Economics of Africa’s Past. He has published award-winning peer-reviewed articles and is a regular columnist for News24 and Rapport. He lives in Stellenbosch.

Juliette Mnqeta is a Xhosa chick from the Miya Clan. She works as a legal transcriptionist and isiXhosa translator. If The Dead Could Talk is her debut novel and a product of her obsession with the mystery crime genre. She is currently based in Knysna.

Justin Fox is the author of more than twenty books, including Place, The Cape Raider, The Wolf Hunt, Whoever Fears the Sea and Secret Cape Town. He is the former editor of Getaway magazine and has a doctorate in English from Oxford University. Fox lives in Cape Town.

Karyn Maughan is an award-winning journalist, documentary producer and best-selling author. She writes for News24 and is a BBC contributor. She regularly appears on local and international radio and TV stations, and has been named one of South Africa’s most influential journalists. She has over 508 000 followers on X. She lives in Johannesburg.

Khanyiso Tshwaku is a senior sports reporter at Sport24 and a commentator/analyst for SABC Sports. He services all the Arena Holdings digital platforms along with the Sunday Times.

Prof. Mervyn King, known as the guru of corporate governance and sustainability, has transformed the global business landscape. With his belief that ‘accountants can save the planet’, King advocated reporting on society and the environment, not only on profit. From challenging the primacy of the shareholder to pioneering integrated reporting, King’s legacy continues to guide companies worldwide. His journey was enriched by his experience as a commercial lawyer; his work as an advocate and a judge; and by his career as a businessman, chair and director of many organisations including the Kirsh Trading Group, Frame, FNB Merchant Bank, Operation Hunger, South African Chamber of Business, Automobile Association of South Africa, the Global Reporting Initiative in Amsterdam and the International Integrated Reporting Council in London, to mention a few.

Nicole Engelbrecht is the creator and host of one of SA’s biggest podcasts, True Crime South Africa, and is the author of Samurai Sword Murder: The Morne Harmse Story and Sizzlers: The Hate Crime That Tore Sea Point Apart.

Oliver Swart is a passionate chef who loves to inspire others to cook. He received his Diploma at Silwood School of Cookery after relocating to Cape Town from Durban and has worked in some of the Mother City’s most celebrated restaurants, including La Colombe, The Test Kitchen and The Pot Luck Club. He now co owns one of the biggest catering companies in South Africa, Annalize Catering, with his mother-in-law Annalize Buchanan. You’ll usually find Ollie in the kitchen, conceptualising dishes and menus for their various events and, of course, cooking up a storm.

Oyama Mabandla is a lawyer and businessman. He holds a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science from the University of California San Diego (UCSD). He is a regular contributor to the media on the intersection of the arts and politics. He is now based in Joburg.

Pieter du Toit is the author of the bestselling books The Stellenbosch Mafia and The ANC Billionaires. He is the deputy editor of News24.com.

Ray Mahlaka is an award-winning journalist, specialising in business, finance, and economics. Ray has worked for leading South African media outlets over the past 13 years. His work has appeared on Daily Maverick, SAfm, Business Day, Financial Mail, and Moneyweb. He is passionate about the political economy, finding ways to fix South Africa.

Raymond Ledwaba is a Chartered Accountant and the CEO of ITTHYNK Smart Solutions, ITTHYNK Gaming and Diski Nine9. He lives in Johannesburg.

Sally Andrew is the best-selling author of the award-winning Tannie Maria mystery novels. She lives with her artist partner in a mud-brick house on a nature reserve in the Klein Karoo. She has a master’s in Adult Education from the University of Cape Town and was a social and environmental activist. She now writes, cooks, does Biofield Tuning (sound healing) and is training to be a doowop girl. Her Tannie Maria novels include Recipes for Love and Murder, The Satanic Mechanic, Death on the Limpopo and The Milk Tart Murders. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages and turned into an international TV series.

TJ Strydom is an author and business journalist who has worked for The Times, Reuters, Sunday Times and Beeld. His first biography, Christo Wiese: Risk & Riches, was published in 2019, followed by Koos Bekker’s Billions in 2022. Strydom grew up in Pietermaritzburg and studied at Stellenbosch University. He is married and lives in Johannesburg.