Torchbearers: Inspirational Women of South Africa

This is the first book in the series, featuring the prominent figures of Ingrid Jonker, Thuli Madonsela and Grizelda Grootboom.

Ingrid Jonker

Ingrid loved the veld, the sea, words and her Ouma Annie. She was never quite sure which or whom she loved most. 

Ingrid Jonker, born on 19 September 1933 and died at the young age of 31 on 19 July 1965. She was a widely known South African poet whose Afrikaans poems have been widely translated into other languages. 

She was a shy girl from the Cape whose poetry touched the lives of people all over the world, even after her death. 

Thuli Madonsela

Silently, she took the words "Justice for all!" and "Poor people matter" to heart, to be remembered one day when she would become a lawyer. 

Thuli Madonsela is our previous public protector, and still stands up for all South Africans by fighting corruption. 

"As an African woman, I was taught how important it is to know how precious I am, where I'm going, and what contribution I want to make to humanity." 

This second book in the Torchbearer  series features an athlete, and activist and a mountaineer, all inspirational women who are helping to shape our future. 

Caster Semenya

Even when she was a little girl, nothing scared Mokgadi Caster Semenya. In the tiny village of Ga-Masehlong, near Polokwane, Caster's mother, Dorcas, had her hands full with this child of hers. Caster wanted to race anybody and everybody - from the chickens and the dogs to her own shadow. 

Caster is an Olympic athlete who breaks through both world records and personal challenges.

Zulaikha Patel

In Brooklyn, New York, there is a mural by a world-famous street artist. People walking by stop dead in their tracks to look at the image of the 13-year-old South African school girl in uniform. She stands with a clenched fist in the air, but something in her doe-like eyes reveals she's more than an ordinary protester. That girl is Zulaikha Patel.  

She sends waves of change through the world by standing against injustice, no matter how young she is. 

Saray Khualo

Before she tackled the first of her Grand Slam challenges, she made a decision. She wanted to show children they could do anything if they were determined enough. it didn't matter who you were or where you came home. 

Saray is a motivational speaker and mountaineer. She never gives up on her dreams - no matter how difficult the journey is. 

Esther Mahlangu

Ester didn't want to stop. She wanted to paint all the houses in the world. Even the house of the man in the moon. 

Ester is a painter that brings her traditional Ndebele-patterns to the whole world - painting them everywhere from walls to collector's cars.

Vanessa Gavender

I learned the hard way that violence against a woman has nothing to do with how much money she has in her purse, her level of education or the colour of her skin. It can happen to anyone... Though it's still hard to talk about it, I would like to tell you my story. I want you to know what happened to me, so you don't fall into the same trap. 

Vanessa is a former journalist who refuses to let the colour of her skin or her tragic past of abuse define her.

Elsje Neethling

Elsje never calls her fight against cancer a "battle". Instead, she talks of "my Olympics"... She finds something to be happy about every day - whether it's her morning cup of coffee or the fact that she's not waking up in hospital.

Elsje has been living with a rare form of cancer for decades, but continues to live life to the fullest while making colourful beaded jewellery. 

This last book in the series features Zolani Mahola, Maggie Jooste, and Suna Venter. A singer, a war survivor, and a journalist.

Zolani Mahola

Books became Zolani's escape. Although there weren't many at home, she read anything she could get her hands on - from Stephen King to the Bible. Reading helped her forget all about her life for a while. 

Zolani is a talented singer who is brave enough to face her tragic past and take control of her own life. 

Maggie Jooste

This is the story of a girl and a war. The girl's name is Maggie Jooste. She was 13 years-old when the South African War, previously known as the Anglo-Boer War, broke out in South Africa in October 1899. 

Maggie was a Boer girl who survived the horrible circumstances of the concentration camps during the South African war.

Suna Venter

When attempts were made on her life, she showed South Africans what it meant to keep fighting for what you believe in. 

Suna was a journalist, part of the SABC 8, who stood up against injustice - even though it would cost her everything.