3 Billionaires

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  09h00 – 10h30
Tickets:  R160 pp

Join us for an engaging conversation as these 3 authors delve into the captivating world of 3 South African Billionaires, unravelling tales of wealth, power and intrigue.

Christo Wiese – Risk and riches
Christo Wiese has never shied away from a risky business deal. Since acquiring Pep Stores, he has built an impressive business empire which includes Shoprite and a number of other companies. He has tried his hand at politics and has bought diamond mines, banks and wine farms. Fifty years of risk-taking in the business world paid off and made him the richest man in the country – until he overplayed his hand with Steinhoff and lost a huge part of his fortune.

Whitey – The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King
James Wellwood Basson, known as ‘Whitey’, is a South African business legend. Whitey quietly built his Shoprite group, acquiring Grand Bazaars and the struggling Checkers and is widely hailed as a business genius. In this authorised biography, access to the Bassons’ archives and interviews with Whitey and his inner circle, financial journalist Niel Joubert recreates Whitey’s story in rich detail: from his childhood on a Porterville farm to his mentorship at Pep Stores, achieving his lifelong target of eclipsing Pick n Pay, and conquering Africa.

Harry Oppenheimer – Diamonds, Gold and Dynasty
Harry Oppenheimer, the international gold-and-diamond magnate, presided over the corporate dynasty of Anglo American and De Beers for more than 25 years. Yet, two decades after his death, the Oppenheimer empire is no more. In the first, full-scale biography of Oppenheimer, based on unrestricted access to his subject’s private papers and extensive interviews with family members and close associates, Michael Cardo eschews both the corporate hype and the political propaganda to produce a vivid, fully-rounded portrait. He brings to life the places, people, events and relationships that shaped Harry Oppenheimer’s long and rich career at the intersection of business and politics.

Elon Musk

Risking it All

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  11h00 – 12h00
Tickets:  R120 pp

Often in the news for his audacious business exploits and controversial tweets, Elon Musk is a polarising figure who inspires some and is loathed by others. Who is this boundary-pushing billionaire with grand plans of inhabiting Mars and turning Twitter into an everything app? What lies at the heart of his outsized ambition?

As an awkward Pretoria schoolboy who loved comics and science fiction, Musk’s early years and singular family background were crucial in his formation. 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.

Now updated with an extensive interview with his father, Errol, this book traces Musk’s remarkable life, from his South African childhood to his move to Canada at 17 and then to the US – where he built Tesla and SpaceX into two of the world’s most famous companies. This is the story of a man who is utterly unafraid of risk.

Cupcakes and Couscous

Recipes from my kitchen to yours

Venue:  Nest Food Bar, Thesen Island
Time:  11h30 – 13h30
Tickets:  R430 pp

In her debut cookbook, Teresa Ulyate spoils us with a treasury of tempting, nourishing dishes. These accessible and tasty recipes for all occasions are perfect for working parents, foodies and homecooks. The photography is a feast for the eyes, and showcases Teresa’s love for cooking and baking – from preparing breakfast-on-the-go and lunchbox ideas, to midday bites, celebration food and braais. There’s also a chapter on hosting an event at home, with sample menus and helpful planning tips.

Limited seats for a mid morning treat of deliciousness and intimate conversation as we get to grips with a selection of recipes, and we get to know Teresa better.

Ticket includes food and drinks

The Profiler Diaries

From crime scene to courtroom

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  12h30 – 13h30
Tickets:  R120 pp

Former South African Police Service (SAPS) head profiler Dr Gérard Labuschagne, successor to the legendary Micki Pistorius, recalls more of the 110 murder series and countless other bizarre crimes he analysed during his career. An expert on serial murder and rape cases, Labuschagne saw it all in his fourteen and a half years in the SAPS. Often stymied by a lack of resources, office politics and legal incompetence, Labuschagne and his team were nevertheless determined to obtain justice for the victims whose cases they were tasked with investigating. Tracking down a prolific serial stalker, linking the murders of two young women in Knysna, assessing a suspect threatening to assassinate Barack Obama and apprehending a serial murderer of sex workers are just a few of the intriguing – and often terrifying – cases he covers in his second book, The Profiler Diaries – From Crime Scene to Courtroom.

As Labuschagne says, catching a killer is one thing; getting them convicted in a court of law is an entirely different ball game. This book shows how it is done in fascinating detail.

Blood has a voice

Stories from the autopsy table

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  14h00 – 15h00
Tickets:  R120 pp

As one of South Africa’s leading forensic pathologists, Dr Hestelle van Staden has conducted over 7 000 autopsies. She has witnessed the worst of the violence that plagues South Africa, and gives voice to murder victims who can no longer speak for themselves. Van Staden’s court evidence has led to the conviction of numerous criminals. In Blood Has a Voice, she walks us through nine of her most compelling cases.

Risking Life for Death
In Risking Life for Death, South African forensic pathologist Ryan Blumenthal offers a master class in this singular forensic technique based on real-life case studies. With more than twenty years’ experience in the field, Blumenthal explains how to look for clues and traces, and how what he does not find at autopsy is often more important than what he does find. His account also highlights the dangers forensic pathologists are exposed to daily. As they try to unravel the puzzle of someone’s death, forensic pathologists often face life-threatening infections, toxic gases and the hazards associated with high-profile cases – in effect, risking their life to solve someone else’s death.

How to steal a Goldmine

The Aurora Story

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  15h30 – 16h30
Tickets:  R120 pp

In 2009, Aurora Empowerment Systems a black-owned, politically connected business, made a bid to rescue the liquidated Pamodzi Gold mines. The company looked too good to be true – promising to turn the mines into a new business. Soon after the acquisition, cracks appeared. Capture, massive deception and devastating human consequences still felt today… Legal journalist Dianne Hawker delves deep to retell the full Aurora story.

The Thabo Bester Story

The Facebook Rapist, the Celebrity Doctor and the Escape from Cell 35

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  09h30 – 10h30
Tickets:  R120 pp

News of the sensational prison escape of the murderer and ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester, assisted by his lover, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, shocked South Africa. Andy Kawa (author of Kwanele, Enough!), who recently won her Concourt appeal against the South African Police Force for negligence, joins a panel with Marecia Damons and Daniel Steyn, the journalists who first exposed the scam. They tell the full story, from Bester and Magudumana’s early lives and their unlikely love affair, his faked death, and the tragedy surrounding their many victims, to a web of complicity in South Africa’s broken prison system.

Statues and Storms

Leading through change

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  11h00 – 12h00
Tickets:  R120 pp

Statues and Storms offers a gripping insider’s account of Max Price’s tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town during a transformative period in South African higher education. With a focus on leadership, the book also explores enduring themes in academia, including academic and artistic freedom, the limits of protest rights, institutional racism, culture and inclusiveness, and the funding of higher education.

Capture in the Court

In Defense of Judges and the Constitution

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  12h30 – 13h30
Tickets:  R120 pp

Since populist factions claim to be the people, judges confronting them do not just decide against the people; they are against the people. The judiciary faces a barrage of attacks not just from the ruling ANC but from other political parties clamouring for power. There comes a predictable phase in the cycle of politics where this is most likely to occur. Dan Mafora provides much-needed insight.

Bush Brothers

Life and Death Across the Border

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  14h30 – 15h30
Tickets:  R120 pp

Bush Brothers is not about special forces or heroic, secret missions. Instead, it is an intimate look at the daily life of ordinary soldiers – and the unbreakable bonds they formed under fire. This is the story of thousands of infantry men who were deployed in the SADF, on or across the Border. Colourful characters and wild partying are interspersed with the life-and-death choices troops were forced to make as they sacrificed life and limb, not so much for their country, but for each other.

Small Business – Big Plans

How to use digital marketing to help your South African business thrive

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  16h00 – 17h00
Tickets:  R120 pp

Tailored specifically to the digital world in the 2020s, this easy-to-read practical guide is packed with expert insights along with plenty of real world examples. Written by the co-founders of South African digital agency Black Mountain, the book distils the duo’s decade of knowledge working with some of the country’s biggest brands, as well as many exciting start-ups, into bite-sized chunks of marketing knowhow. Ultimately this book will empower you as a small business owner in a way that maximises your time and budget – helping you achieve those big dreams.

Blood and Silver

A true story of survival and a son’s search for his family treasure

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  16h00 – 17h00
Tickets:  R120 pp

When Jan is born in Paarl in 1953, he nearly dies of severe haemophilia. He survives – only to discover, at the start of his career, that he is HIV-positive from receiving contaminated blood products. Despite this, Jan goes on to have a remarkable career but it is only after retirement that he has the opportunity to indulge his lifelong obsession: to recover the family silver. He travels to Ukraine armed only with a hand-drawn map and the help of a few shady characters. Many misadventures ensue.

The South African Vegan Cookbook 2

A guide to elevate plant-based cooking in your kitchen

Venue:  île de païn, Thesen Island
Time:  18h00
Tickets:  R680 pp

With The South African Vegan Cookbook 2, Leozette Roode builds on the positive impact of her first cookbook, which was a runaway success. Here she pays homage to the food that makes her happy, with an enticing collection of 80 plant-based recipes that will inspire any cook, vegan or not. She adds new favourites such as a courgette and lemon tea loaf, couscous roulade, mushroom Wellington, seitan burgers and polenta fries, as well as much-loved classics that have been veganised.

île de païn’s talented kitchen will be serving up tasty treats from this innovative and engaging author. This promises to be a delicious, and possibly even surprising, evening as Leozette takes us on an immersive journey, discovering more about this food trend.

Ticket includes food and drinks

Riding Life

A South African who survived death to inspire millions

Venue:  Thesen Harbour Town (TH18)
Time:  10h30 – 11h30
Tickets:  R120 pp

He was told he would never cycle again. But South African ultra-endurance cyclist Grant Lottering doesn’t take no for an answer. In 2013, Lottering’s heart stopped after a gruesome accident in the Italian Alps. Doctors said he would never ride again. Since then, he has completed many gruelling rides through some of the toughest terrain on the planet. His story – proving that the human body can achieve the near impossible if you have the right mindset – is an inspiration to millions.

My Big Fat Greek Taverna

From diplomacy to Ouzo

Venue:  île de païn, Thesen Island
Time:  12h00
Tickets:  R850 pp

In a moment of madness, Costa Ayiotis, a former United Nations diplomat, quits the Joburg rat race and opens a Greek taverna in Hout Bay. The local barflies and village idiots predict his demise in a notoriously fickle seasonal town. He is determined to prove them wrong. In this refreshingly hilarious rollercoaster of a ride, Costa’s fiery Greek temperament is tested by a constant stream of customers from all corners of the planet. A book for anyone who ever yearned to escape from it all.

We will be feasting Greek style with a fabulous lunch and conversation with Costas. Make sure you plan for a late afternoon nap.

Ticket includes food and drinks