A fresh, entertaining series of pocket books that feature prominent young South African voices worth listening to. The Youngsters series explores topics of interest to the youth, ranging from hair weaves to discovering who you are and what you should do with your life, as well as issues of race and gender, love and sex in the time of social networks, the music and radio industries, comedy, empowering yourself and more … The series shares the naked reality of being a youngster in South Africa and helps you to make sense of it all.

1. Featuring authors
A fresh, entertaining series of pocket books that feature ANELE MDODA
prominent young South African voices worth listening to. DANNY K
The Youngsters series explores topics of interest to the KHAYA DLANGA
youth, ranging from hair weaves to discovering who you
NIK RABINOWITZ
are and what you should do with your life, as well as
issues of race and gender, love and sex in the time of SHAKA SISULU
social networks, the music and radio industries, comedy,
empowering yourself and more … The series shares the
SERIES IS EDITED BY
naked reality of being a youngster in South Africa and
BESTSELLING AUTHOR AND
helps you to make sense of it all.
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST
MANDY WIENER
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2. EDITED BY
MANDY Gin & Tonic with a Splash of Cranberry
WIENER That’s my drink. And I think it says a lot about me.
WHO ARE YOU?
I’m not saying your drink is who you are, but knowing your
drink is part of knowing yourself. The process of finding the
tastes you like, whilst you’re there deciding what you drink –
surely you should also be finding out things about yourself.
For example, am I studying law because I want to be a law-
ANELE
yer or because I like Ally McBeal/The Practice? Or is being
a doctor your calling or do you want to find McDreamy? Also
knowing what you should stay away from is just as important.
MDODA
Does tequila on the rocks make you dance on the table? If
that’s your thing, then go ahead. If not, it may be best to step
away.
I personally don’t like beer and in university it was just so
It Feels Wrong cool for girls to drink beer. One of the years there was a wave
of pretty chicks drinking beer, so know that deciding against
to Laugh, But … it was part of forming not only my independence but also for-
tifying an opinion I would stand for. For one thing, I don’t like
yeast unless it’s in a loaf of bread. Beer makes me burp and
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3. @ anele IT FEELS WRONG TO LAUGHT, BUT ...
I don’t like unnecessary burping. As unruly as I think I may you have to. You saw the table next to you have a Jam Jar
be, I don’t like unladylike behaviour and as such, not only and it’s just easy to go along with hooraying to the colourful
because of my knock-knees, I shy away from pants. I can just mixture, with too many straws, in front of you.
hear the feminist’s … Urgh, leave me alone and please use My point is, everything you’re doing should be a series of
a coaster. It is who I am and I’m unapologetic about these choices – leading to the next choice – you can’t just fall into
things that make me me. things, everything is a sum of choices. Fate favours the pre-
I don’t do cocktails – I like guarantees. Cocktails just pared. Fortune favours the brave. The brave know who they
don’t know what they want to be in life, being a jack-of-all- are and what they stand for.
trades and master of none. Think about a Long Island Ice Let’s say cheers to that.
Tea: vodka, tequila, rum, gin, triple sec, sweet and sour mix,
Coca-Cola. All these different tastes coming together and
not going anywhere without each other. It has so much going
on and no clear direction, but because there’s so much of it,
it feels safe to kick your sobriety out of the way. ‘I am not my gap, but I own it. I am not my size, but I own it and you can’t use what
you see as a negative against me. I own me and proudly so.’ – Anele Mdoda
That was something I hated in university; the whole let’s
go together somewhere even though we have our own cars.
Carving her own path in radio, Anele Mdoda is known as one irreplaceable half
I can hear the green people moaning we should be saving of The Grant & Anele Show on 5FM and, from April 2012, on the Drive Time show
the world. Building your independence is a part of university; on Highveld Stereo. A talker, a comic, honest and raw, Anele discusses everything
why then would we happily not celebrate that independence. from radio to hair weaves and owning your size in It Feels Wrong to Laugh, But …
And I have no idea what’s in a Jam Jar (who the fuck knows Twitter Handle: @Anele
what’s in those, only it knows), nor do I like the way the wait-
June 2012 | Non-fiction (Youth) | Paperback (148 x 128 mm) |128 pp
ers look at me as they serve it to me. 978-1-77010-247-7 | Rights: World |Available as an eBook 978-1-77010-252-1
Anyway, just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t mean
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4. One of the harshest realisations of fame is that
the critics don’t stop at tearing into your career;
they delve into your dirty laundry too.
DANNY I’m sure everyone has heard the gossip regarding my rela-
tionship with Lee-Ann Liebenberg; I can honestly say I wasn’t
prepared for the amount of publicity we would get. During the
time we were together, we literally became public property
and I was seen as being famous purely for whom I was dating.
Take It I blame myself for the media circus our relationship became.
My naivety and blind faith that it would all work out had me
From Me digging my own grave. I’ve learnt the hard way to be more
discreet and measured about my public life.
People saw me as a poser, and I wasn’t taken very seri-
ously for being a musician even though I’d worked so hard
over the years to produce albums that would prove differ-
ently. After four albums I still felt myself having to prove my
worth to everyone. During the rocky parts of our relationship,
I was spending a lot of time in London recording my latest
album, Across the Line. I had become very frustrated with so-
EDITED BY
cial commentary regarding my career and I was determined
MANDY
WIENER
9

5. @ dannykmusic TAKE IT FROM ME
to demonstrate that the criticism was unfounded. seen what fame can do to people; it’s in the media every single
I find it strange how criticism affects people differently. I’ve day. There isn’t much that can prepare you for that, but finding
always been one to pretend it has no effect on me, when in a balance can really make all the difference in the world.
all honesty, I never forget what’s been said. I think it subcon-
Take It From Me:
sciously filters down into some of the decisions I make, some-
❑ Never let praise go to your head and never let criticism
times positively and sometimes negatively. On the one hand,
go to your heart.
I’ll work harder because of it but on the other, I’ll always try
❑ Be honest enough with yourself to listen to criticism.
to win people over and change their minds about me, even
❑ If you can’t let it go, you can’t move on.
though I know that most of the time I won’t succeed.
❑ Have a place where you can be yourself
I’ve always felt that I’ve had to prove I’m deserving of my
❑ Don’t let the hate consume you, keep believing in
fame; deserving of my career. I’ve never really felt like an artist
yourself. …
or a musician; I’m constantly proving and re-proving that I can
do this. I don’t think I really give myself credit in my own mind,
and with this last album I was determined to do something so ‘They say there’s no business like show business. And that’s not because of the fame, or
the money. It’s because of just how hard it can be.’ – Danny K
different that people could see that there was enough talent in
the songwriting and production ability to do anything.
Take It From Me records the ups and downs of the career path of South African
To keep yourself sane in an industry that can be so ment­ singer, songwriter, actor and producer, Danny K. A performer from a young age,
ally taxing, is to have the ability to divorce yourself from your Danny K talks about the good, the bad and the ugly of the music business, his
public persona. When I’m at home I’m just Danny; I don’t have influences and how rejection can sometimes pay off.
anything that will tell you I’m a singer. There are no pictures Twitter Handle: @dannykmusic
of me on stage, no posters, no tour memorabilia. I think it’s
June 2012 | Non-fiction (Youth) | Paperback (148 x 128 mm) | 128 pp
important to be able to let go in a place where you feel safe, 978-1-77010-248-4 | Rights: World | Available as an eBook 978-1-77010-253-8
where you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. We’ve all
10 11

6. EDITED BY
MANDY Many young black South Africans carry
WIENER around bitterness towards their fathers
for a variety of reasons.
One of the major reasons is because their fathers have been
fathers in name only, and not in actions. The only thing they
seem expert in is making babies – and then abandoning
them. I have heard many people simply call their fathers
sperm donors. I have heard people refer to their fathers as
‘that thing’. The great bitterness towards fathers has less to
do with hate than deep-seated disappointment. It is because
they know what fathers are supposed to do. When they don’t
do what they are meant to, bitterness sets in. But this does not
KHAYA
mean that they hate their fathers. A myriad of contradictory
feelings settle upon many children directed at their fathers.
A large number of black fathers should be ashamed of
DLANGA
themselves. They have not taken responsibility after enjoying
some hanky panky. They are like gangbangers in projects
in the United States when gang violence was rife, and drive-
bys. They practise what one could call bang-bys. It is no co-
In My Arrogant Opinion incidence then that one of the reasons we experience high
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7. @ khayadlanga IN MY ARROGANT OPINION
levels of crime in South Africa is precisely because fathers 70% of the black children had fathers who were not around.
have abdicated their duties as men. The greatest crime that They were there but they were missing. Not in a ‘Let’s file a
has been committed against black South African children missing person’s report’ manner, they just didn’t live at home
has to be that of fathers abandoning their children. In fact, with their children. Most of these children might as well have
I don’t know if a large section of black fathers deserves the been raised by single parents, their mothers …
honour of being called men at all. ‘Boys’ would be more ap-
propriate considering the behaviour of many of our fathers.
This is not meant to take anything away from the many ‘This book isn’t about anything in particular. I know that sounds a little disturbing,
but hear me out. I think that those people who read my work read it precisely because
great fathers who know what it means to be a man. Those
there is no particular pattern; they read it to find out what I have to say. Essentially I
men who look after and show their children through actions
am like them. I am a conversationalist. I write like people talk. No fancy language; nor
as well words that they love them. Some fathers think that do I show how smart I am.’ – Khaya Dlanga
throwing money at their children is being a father. We all
know that they do this to avoid confronting the fact that they Award-winning blogger and advertising guy who never eats black jelly babies
haven’t been fathers. Money will never take the place of an Khaya Dlanga discusses issues of racism, love and sex, money, gender and a range
of things in between. Khaya’s humour mixed with opinion is a recipe guaranteed
absent father. Children want their fathers to be around more
to make you think and laugh out loud.
than they want their father’s money.
Khaya Dlanga is a Senior Communications Manager: Content Excellence at
According to AMPS, 65% of women in South Africa with ba- Coca-Cola South Africa. He writes in his personal capacity. He is a winner of the
bies under the age of two are single (never married and not prestigious Cannes Gold and Black Eagle advertising awards. He is also a terror of
living together). In 2006, this proportion was 50%. Obviously the social networks.
there is a serious underlying problem with society. Towning Twitter Handle: @khayadlanga
and running.
June 2012 | Non-fiction (Youth) | Paperback (148 x 128 mm) | 128 pp
When I was in high school I noticed that a large portion of 978-1-77010-246-0 | Rights: World | Available as an eBook 978-1-77010-251-4
black children had absent fathers. In one of my classes over
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8. The hardest thing about South African history
is getting ­ eople to agree on it.
p
‘Oh great,’ you’re probably thinking, ‘a history lesson. I have
bigger things to worry about. Why should I care about an-
cient history when the present is changing all the time?’
Our generation is all about change: regime changes, party
changes, road name changes, province changes, Facebook
status update changes. History books get changed accord-
ing to who is in power, so we don’t know where we’re coming
& GILLIAN BRESLIN from. Newspapers are censored and sanitised, so we don’t
know where we stand. Twitter and Facebook are no use be-
cause they are full of people who lie and can’t spell. And the
SOUTH AFRICA future is uncertain, so we don’t know where we’re going. But
A Long Walk to sometimes, knowing where you came from can help you to
figure out where you are going. Or at the very least, help you
a Free Ride to win at Trivial Pursuit.
It may come as a surprise to you that South Africa was
not always the raceless, classless utopia you see in beer
EDITED BY
adverts. Once upon a time this was a dark and dangerous
MANDY
WIENER
17

9. @ nikrabinowitz A LONG WALK TO A FREE RIDE
place, beset by racism and violence. Like America, but with Then evolution happened. Unless you don’t believe in
elephants. evolution, in which case God made some new and improved
So what happened? How did we get from primitive violent humans.
racists to sophisticated violent racists? If you were educated
prior to 1990, you might remember learning that the noble
According to these two youngsters, ‘The hardest thing about South African history is
Boers and long-suffering British people were beset by prob- getting people to agree on it.’
lems caused by the bloodthirsty black tribes.
That isn’t really a big theme in post-1990 teaching. So A fast-paced, hilarious guide to surviving your youth in South Africa. Expect a
we are here to set the record straight. This is the true, una- history lesson with a difference, what makes a comedian tick, some alternative
political insights and thoughtful crystal-ball gazing. Join Nik Rabinowitz and
bridged version of South African history.
Gillian Breslin on a side-splitting journey to discover the ‘real’ South Africa.
Prehistory Nik Rabinowitz was raised on the mean, green streets of Constantia, Cape Town,
a world of ride-bys, piano lessons, and unrelenting love and financial support from
Millions of years ago, there were tiny, hairy hominids roam-
family members. Despite all this hardship he still managed to be moderately suc-
ing the West Rand of Joburg. This is still true, but the original
cessful, achieving fame as the world’s foremost Xhosa-speaking Jewish comedian.
hairy hominids had not yet invented the wheel, let alone the
Gillian Breslin obtained a Journalism Degree from Rhodes University, but
tow-truck. These original hominids were the missing link –
quickly realised that writing is much easier when you get to make stuff up. After
the precursors to all mankind. We don’t know much about
a brief stint as ‘The World’s Worst Producer’ she started writing for television, and
these guys, but we do know that they were incredibly clumsy, hasn’t looked back since (mostly because that’s where the creditors are). Gillian
because we keep finding their bones down holes and in old and Nik have been working together since 2008.
riverbeds. Since we don’t find many bones we assume they
Twitter Handle: @nikrabinowitz
were either incredibly good at decomposing or they ate each
June 2012 | Non-fiction (Youth) | Paperback (148 x 128 mm) | 128 pp
other. We are going with cannibalism, since every good story
978-1-77010-249-1 | Rights: World | Available as an eBook 978-1-77010-254-5
needs a bit of cannibalism …
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10. EDITED BY One day my little girl, then three, and quite
MANDY keen on simply driving around with me,
WIENER reached over to the radio, turned it off and
looked me squarely in the eye.
We were at a traffic light so she had my full attention. She
then asked me very pointed questions about the nature of my
relationship with her mother. Stunned, I waded through the
inquisition as honestly as I could. When she was satisfied,
she simply nodded, looked briefly into the distance and then
turned on the radio again. Within moments she was happily
chatting about something or the other that had captured her
imagination.
SHAKA
Something happened in those few moments. She had
held me to account in a way that I allowed very few people
to do. Not only that, her questions reminded me of the role I
was playing in determining what sort of romantic relation-
SISULU
ships she herself would be predisposed to pursuing. There
remains no doubt in my mind that daughters find their fa-
thers to love, or spend their lives searching for him. Whether
Becoming
I liked it or not, I was directly influencing the quality of her
adult life through my actions, even if I felt that certain things
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11. @ shakasisulu BECOMING
had nothing to do with her or were none of her business. You pouring myself into the sort of activities (with Cheesekids, for
know, parenting begins when each decision we make for example) that would later lead to people pointing me out as
ourselves considers the souls in our care for safekeeping. I having leadership qualities. I suppose flawed characters
have said that my daughter has raised me. Partially because with Damascene experiences present the most appealing
of her, Bond had to go. candidates for leadership; we want to follow folks who have
* * * escaped their circumstances.
Back in Oxford, having reflected on all that I have shared
‘By three methods we may learn wisdom:
with you, I then asked myself who it was that had replaced
First, by reflection, which is the noblest;
Bond? Who was my new idol? I remember smiling, it was
Second, by imitation, which is the easiest;
an easy answer ... one that I will share with you in the next
and Third by experience, which is the bitterest.’
chapter …
Confucius (551–479 BC)
In the years since, I’ve more often than not opted for bitter
experience to spur me into turning my back on my Bond. My ‘There is a poetic justice to life because we are the sum of our experiences.’
– Shaka Sisulu
break-up with alcohol after a 19 year (yeah, really) relation-
ship followed my imitation of Judge Motala. In my moment of
Grandson of anti-apartheid stalwart Walter Sisulu, CEO of non-profit organisation
clarity I finally understood what ‘the good life, an enemy of Cheesekids, creator, dreamer, father and devoted Afrikan, Shaka Sisulu discusses
a great life’ meant. I decided there and then to conquer my heritage, BEE, inspiration, leadership, legacy and how you can carve your own
vices one by one. I was not just leaving Bond, now I was out destiny in the Afrikan soil in Becoming.
to kill him. Twitter Handle: @shakasisulu
There is a poetic justice to life because we are the sum of
June 2012 | Non-fiction (Youth) | Paperback (148 x 128 mm) | 128 pp
our experiences. I am sure that had it not been for this pro- 978-1-77010-250-7 | Rights: World | Available as an eBook 978-1-77010-255-2
cess of transition, even unwitting, I wouldn’t have found myself
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