TEBOGO AND THE HAKA... Femme fatale...

How far does a woman go in trying to protect her reputation, her integrity, her status? Does it depend on the woman in question? Would a 'fallen woman' or 'lady of the night' be so absorbed in a quest for same dignity? 

But what if the woman has it all and tends to lose everything if exposed? To what lengths might she go to protect herself? ... So let us assume here that the woman in question has some breeding, poise, stability and security.   

The situation can be compounded when the pertinent woman is a looker, attractive, amiable and charismatic to boot.  In such situations the man/men in their lives (or even those investigating them!) tend to be dim, slow in the uptake, enamoured - such are the beguiling charms of certain women

Femme fatale? Apparently so. It has been so for eons of time. Interestingly, some pundits reckon that the author here, O. Bolaji, was somewhat influenced in his youth by writers like Peter Cheyney, James Hadley Chase, Mickey Spillane, even Ellery Queen. In many of the works of these writers, it is not unusual for femme fatale not only to take people for a ride, but wreak havoc. 

Such is the case in this book, this mystery story - Tebogo and the Haka. We know that Tebogo the African sleuth has never been immune to the charms of lovely women, and here his weakness in this wise is patently laid bare...
- R. Mokoena

THE STORY OF COLLINS MOKHOTHO

A cousin of mine used to work in a ship or something - certainly he was always away at sea. Although he did not seem to appreciate it, he was a lucky bloke, getting to travel to many countries on a yearly basis. Free of charge, and getting a salary to boot!

My mind went to this as I read this book, as the main character in this work, Collins Mokhotho, a non-fiction narrative gets to visit many other countries and continents. From his native South Africa he travels in a special ship towards the eastern part of Africa, and the Middle East...en route he meets many other people from other parts of the world, doing his thing. And then, they get to visit such an intrinsically exotic country: Japan!

Yes Japan, fabled oriental land that one can only dream of visiting. Think geishas, ninjas, exceeding courtesy, charm, and throbbing delights! Exotic as it can get eh… I had a tinge of jealousy as I realised that unless a major miracle happens, I can never visit Japan in this lifetime. 

Earlier in his career, Chief Bolaji gets to put this work together for Collins ('semi-biography'). And as we read here, all this travelling and visiting comes Collins' way because he is a great (traditional) dancer. I wonder, can I take up dancing in my old age?

- O Bakare

ADVENTURES IN JOURNALISM. By Flaxman Qoopane

Flaxman Qoopane, the flamboyant South African poet, essayist, biographer, sublime journalist etc breathed his last in late 2017. His legacy included publishing over a dozen books - a corpus which reinforced his transcendental love for literacy and literature. 

This particular work of his zeroes in on his life as a journalist...his odyssey since going into exile as a young man, his stint at SOMAFCO Institute in Tanzania where he honed his skills as a reporter, journalist, photojournalist et al.

His narrative here is relatively short, but nevertheless comprehensive, reining in many pertinent protagonists; how his craft developed, his dedication, his sparkling enthusiasm. And when he returns home to his native South Africa, he proceeds with elan to showcase his skill, doing so with zest and panache! Based in the Free State, Qoopane goes on to write for an extraordinary motley of publications, including local, national and international newspapers, magazines, journals etc.

His career is indeed colourful, including the accretion of a plethora of superb photos that augmented his journalistic work. His enterprise, passion and ebullience will likely startle the general reader. Such a pity that the man is no more...

-         - Malome E.