Pagecast is South Africa's biggest book podcast that offers insider interviews with recently published authors, delving into the creative processes and stories behind their latest works. As the leading platform for book lovers, Pagecast brings you the story behind the story, exploring the thoughts, ideas, and emotions that shape the country's most compelling literature.

In this episode of Pagecast, Anthony Molyneaux is in conversation with Nicole Engelbrecht about her new book, Bare Bones. 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. Anthony Molyneaux is a Documentary Director & Video Journalist with over a decade of experience. He is the director of Netflix’s 'Beauty and the Bester' (September 2025). More about the book: Nicole Engelbrecht is back with a new book that delves into the cold cases of her phenomenally popular True Crime SA podcast. In Bare Bones, she re-examines missing and murder cases she has covered in her podcast series, and revisits the leads and the interviews she conducted. Much of the information has never been made public before. From the bones of a Jane Doe discovered under a swimming pool to a troubled young man who seemed to vanish in the prison system, from a business trip turned deadly to a child snatched from outside her home, Engelbrecht sifts the evidence anew and shines a light on old and new unsolved cases in the hope of bringing closure to the victims’ families and friends. Join her in the search for the truth behind the scenes of the podcast desk. #TrueCrimeSA #BareBonesBook #NicoleEngelbrecht #PagecastPodcast #SouthAfricanPodcast #TrueCrimeCommunity #ColdCases #PodcastInterview #NetflixDirector #CrimeBook

In this episode of Pagecast, Rorisang Tshabalala interviews Nozipho Tshabalala about her book, After the Fires: Unlocking the Power of Letting Go. More about the book: When the flames of life’s challenges have swept through you, who do you become from the ashes? Nozipho Tshabalala is a high-performing, excellence-driven, successful black woman. Being in control of everything in her life was crucial to her survival and success. For the most part, it had always served her well – until it didn’t. In this captivating and deeply personal memoir, conversation strategist Nozipho invites you into her world – one shaped by political violence, professional triumphs on global stages and the intimate battles with loss that would test her most fundamental beliefs. Now in her 40s, she has realised that what she needed most to survive may not be what she needs to thrive. After the Fires is a call to reclaim the narrative amid life’s unexpected turns. It honours the complexity of womanhood while celebrating the possibility of becoming exactly who you were meant to be, even when that person looks nothing like what you imagined. With vulnerability and wisdom, Nozipho demonstrates how surrender becomes not an act of defeat but a pathway to freedom. Her story reminds us that sometimes our greatest strength lies not in holding tighter but in opening our hands to release what no longer serves us. #memoir #AfterTheFires #lettinggo #womenauthors #personalgrowth #inspirationalbook #NoziphoTshabalala #Pagecast #resilience

In hierdie episode van Pagecast gesels Bouwer Bosch met Springbok rugbyspeler Eben Etzebeth oor sy outobiografie, Ten Slotte.  Eben Etzebeth is die speler wat al die meeste toetswedstryde in Suid-Afrikaanse rugbygeskiedenis gespeel het. Op die veld word hierdie slot se intelligensie, energie en aggressie gerespekteer en bewonder. Hy is lid van die senior Springbok-leierskapspan, en speel ’n groot rol in ’n ongelooflik suksesvolle era wat twee agtereenvolgende Wêreldbekers en die groep se huidige posisie van twee jaar boaan die wêreldranglys insluit. In hierdie eerlike en onderhoudende vertelling beskryf Eben van die vernaamste faktore van sy sukses, en hoe hy gefokus bly – op en van die veld af. Van sy nederige kinderjare in Goodwood – ’n voorstad van Kaapstad waar niks maklik kom nie – regdeur sy vroeë klubloopbaan, tot by sy swaar verdiende plek in die Suid-Afrikaanse nasionale span, vertel Ten Slotte die persoonlike kant van sy loopbaan, en wat dit geverg het om ’n wêreldkampioen te word.

In this episode of Pagecast, Lundi Khoisan Cavernelis interviews Reggie Peace about his inspiring memoir, Vredemaker. At 13, Reggie found refuge in a children's home that gave him stability and a chance to excel. Yet, he battled inner dissatisfaction and a longing for acceptance until he faced a life-changing choice: to choose life or a slow death. Reggie’s powerful story of hardship, hope, and resilience reveals how faith in Christ helped him overcome challenges and emerge stronger. #Vredemaker #ReggiePeace #LundiCavernelis #Pagecast #MemoirPodcast #SouthAfricanAuthors #FaithAndHope #OvercomingAdversity #InspirationalStories

In this episode of Pagecast, Mike Nicol sits down with David Cornwell to discuss his gripping new novel, Hell of a Country. This reimagining of a true crime story from 1970s South Africa explores the intense and dark tale of Lorraine van Niekerk, a teenager trapped in a toxic relationship with her married lover. When her life crosses paths with Alfie Geemooi, a recent amputee, Lorraine hatches a dangerous plan that leads to murder. Dive into this haunting story of love, betrayal, and the high price one may pay. #HellOfACountry #DavidCornwell #MikeNicol #TrueCrimeSA #SouthAfricanFiction #CrimeNovel #BookPodcast #1970sSouthAfrica #Pagecast #LiteraryPodcast

Dive into the latest episode of Pagecast as Tessa Barlin chats with Veruska De Vita about her new book, Deep Blue. Discover why the sea captivates us, how cold water plunging boosts wellness, and the urgent impact of climate change on our oceans. From free divers to scientists, this conversation explores our profound connection with saltwater and the joy it brings. Perfect for sea lovers and curious minds alike. #DeepBlueBook #OceanLove #ColdWaterTherapy #FreeDivingLife #ClimateChangeAwareness #SwimmingWellness #MarineConservation #SaltwaterHealing #PagecastPodcast #VeruskaDeVita

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Bongani Kona interviews Rémy Ngamije about his new book, Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space. Presented as a literary mixtape, Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space is a work that provides you with a uniquely modern reading experience. The A-Side, read as one narrative, tells the story of a soon-to-be thirty-year-old aspiring writer navigating a complicated world. The B-Side, taken as a separate experience, features (seemingly) independent and unrelated short stories. There’s “Crunchy, Green Apples (or, Omo)”, a story about loss told by the strangest of narrative devices: a shopping list. “Sofa, So Good, Sort Of (or, John Muafangejo)” is a first-person account of a family’s history and a long journey towards hope. A group of friends attempts to navigate a recent breakup in “From the Lost City of Hurtlantis to the Streets of Helldorado (or, Franco).” When read together, however, a third world emerges—a complex, intergenerational, and interconnected “journey across all genres” (Mukoma Wa Ngugi, author of Unbury Our Dead with Song) that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Thank you to our furniture sponsor, Zorora: https://zororasofas.co.za/ #PagecastPodcast #OpenBookFestival #SouthAfricanBooks #BookInterviews #BookPodcast

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Wamuwi Mbao interviews Siphokazi Jonas about her poetry collection, Weeping Becomes a River. Siphokazi Jonas is a weaver of seemingly discordant worlds; growing up in an Afrikaans dorpie, attending an English boarding school, and going on annual holidays to a village emaXhoseni during the transition years of South Africa’s democracy made this a necessity. In Weeping Becomes a River she confronts the linguistic and cultural alienation experienced as a black learner in former Model C schools in the 1990s and early 2000s, then fashions the fragments to reclaim and rewrite her place within a lineage of storytellers. Migrating between forms, between poetry and intsomi, she navigates the waters of tradition, religion, intergenerational experiences of rural and urban spaces, and the ways in which family dynamics affect the body. She is not only a referee of the raging tensions within her, but she also pieces together a language for pathways of leaving and returning. Her poems grapple with the past, the present, and possible futures without forgetting that “the body is marked territory from birth, and the scent of it never leaves”. Thank you to our furniture sponsor, Zorora: https://zororasofas.co.za/ #PagecastPodcast #OpenBookFestival #SouthAfricanBooks #BookInterviews #BookPodcast

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese interviews Nick Mulgrew about his latest collection, The Book of Unrest, as well as the launch of his new press, Batis Books, which is based in Edinburgh. More about The Book of Unrest: An ocean of floodwater. Shipwrecked toddlers. Skeletons that rise from pristine beaches. In his second book of poems, Nick Mulgrew confronts the natural and human disasters of the eastern South African coast – and, in the process, himself. An unflinching examination of ancestry and place, of ruined childhoods and a troubled present, The Book of Unrest conjures a world of alternating beauty and horror; a series of tainted land-, city and seascapes, increasingly hostile to those living in them. Drawing upon the wisdom of other Durban writers, Mulgrew interrogates the purposes of poetry and politics in such a fraught time and place. Can our traumas be learned from, or do they only shackle us to the past? In turns elegiac and nihilistic, witty and desperate, sprawling and precise, these poems sift through personal and collective histories of mistrust and violence, to find what, if anything, can bring us rest. Thank you to our furniture sponsor, Zorora: https://zororasofas.co.za/ #PagecastPodcast #OpenBookFestival #SouthAfricanBooks #BookInterviews #BookPodcast

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Bongani Kona interviews Frankie Murrey about her latest work, A Collection of Gaps. There’s this moon in the sky. And I want to say – not now, moon, I’ve got work to do. But you know the moon. She never listens. So I sit and watch her for a while. Admire those curves. Whisper secrets and cigarette smoke love. — from ‘Letter to the Night’ Thank you to our furniture sponsor, Zorora: https://zororasofas.co.za/ #PagecastPodcast #OpenBookFestival #SouthAfricanBooks #BookInterviews #BookPodcast

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this episode, Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese interviews Sarah Uheida about her debut poetry collection, Not This Tender. Sarah Uheida’s Not This Tender is a profound exploration of memory, navigating the war-torn landscapes of North Africa, which she was forced to flee as a child. The collection offers a mythical yet deeply personal examination of longing and belonging, estrangement, loss, and the influence of family and language, conveyed through immersive portraits and the perspective of a fractured landscape. Thank you to our furniture sponsor, Zorora: https://zororasofas.co.za/ #PagecastPodcast #OpenBookFestival #SouthAfricanBooks #BookInterviews #BookPodcast

Pagecast was at the 2025 Open Book Festival, where we spoke with authors about their writing journeys and the stories they share with readers. In this first episode, Wamuwi Mbao interviews Foluso Agbaje about her moving novel, The Parlour Wife. Set in Lagos in 1939 during the start of World War Two, the story follows Kehinde, who must leave her dreams of writing to become the third wife of Mr Ogunjobi. Kehinde finds purpose selling snacks and later joining the Lagos Market Women’s Association, fighting the British for women’s rights. But if her husband discovers her defiance, she risks being abandoned. Can Kehinde find the courage to fight for herself and other women, or will she remain trapped as a parlour wife? Thank you to our furniture sponsor, Zorora: https://zororasofas.co.za/ #PagecastPodcast #OpenBookFestival #SouthAfricanBooks #AfricanLiterature #FolusoAgbaje #TheParlourWife #LagosStories #WomenWriters #HistoricalFiction #BookInterviews #BookPodcast

In this episode of Pagecase, Shaun de Waal interviews Justice Edwin Cameron about his book, Behind Prison Walls. More about the book: Since the Zuma presidency weakened crime intelligence, violent crime surged, with murder rates rising over 75%. South Africa faces severe femicide, and most murderers evade justice. Prisons fail by perpetuating crime; harsher sentences do not help. Edwin Cameron, after visiting prisons, advocates for reform. Along with colleagues, he suggests abolishing minimum sentences, cash bail, and decriminalizing drug use to improve safety and justice. #EdwinCameron #BehindPrisonWalls #CrimeReform #SouthAfricaCrime #BookPodcast #Pagecast #Authorinterview #Prison

This week on Pagecast, Qaanitah Hunter is in conversation with Jeff Wicks to talk about his new book, The Shadow State. More about the book: On 23 August 2021, a quiet, hardworking single mom was shot down as she drove home. Her name was Babita Deokaran, chief accountant at the Gauteng Department of Health. The izinkabi paid to kill her were caught, but the question remained: who ordered her murder, and why? Crime reporter Jeff Wicks set out to find the answer – a pursuit that would profoundly change, even endanger, his life. This is an explosive investigation into state capture and a moving tribute to the cost of integrity. #TheShadowState #JeffWicks #QaanitahHunter #PagecastPodcast #NewBookRelease #PoliticalThriller #MustRead2025 #BookDiscussion #SouthAfricaPodcast #LiteraryTalk

In this episode of Pagecast, Keanan Hemmonsbey interviews Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell about her prize-winning memoir, These Heavy Black Bones. More about the book: This is not a story about making history. Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell was once a double British Champion and the first Black woman ever to swim for Great Britain. As her body and mind are sharpened through gruelling training, press scrutiny and the harshness of adolescence, Rebecca charts her career’s ascent and her singular love of the water, before explaining why she walked away from it all. A compulsive and unforgettable study of intensity, These Heavy Black Bones meditates on Blackness, identity and the ecstasy of peak physical performance, and lays bare the pressures within the swimming world. #TheseHeavyBlackBones #RebeccaAchiengAjuluBushell #Pagecast #BookPodcast #Swimming #Athlete #Book

In this episode of Pagecast, Janine Jellars interviews Nadia Cassim about her new book, Not Another Samoosa Run! This is a heartfelt conversation about the vibrant stories, rich cultural nuances, and powerful themes that make this book a unique and engaging local read. More about the book: In Tasneem’s close-knit Muslim Indian community, the stigma of divorce is a heavy burden to carry, and her mother insists on finding her a new husband – even if it means orchestrating a traditional ‘samoosa run’. When she meets Aadil an unexpected connection sparks and they strike a deal: a pretend engagement to keep their families off their backs. But a simple ruse soon grows complicated because one of them is hiding a life-changing secret . . . #PagecastPodcast #NadiaCassim #NotAnotherSamoosaRun #BookDiscussion #SouthAfricanAuthors #CulturalStories #LiteraryPodcast #DiverseVoices #StorytellingMagic #BookPodcast

This week we have the incredible Sue Nyathi chatting with Busisekile Khumalo to discuss her novel, "Rubies and Rain." More about the book: Ruby has to deal with the news of her father’s death and her sex scandal simultaneously trending on social media. Vimbai has been captured and Nosihle returns to Harare where her path crosses with Joshua, Shadow’s second in command. Ruby is arrested and locked in the same cell as Vimbai. Will the two women be able to put aside their differences to survive this ordeal? Rubies and Rain is a page-turner filled with surprise twists and turns. #RubiesAndRain #BusisekileKhumalo #SueNyathi #Pagecast #AfricanLiterature #BookPodcast #WomenWriters #MustReadBooks #AuthorInterview #BookRecommendation

Step into the world of South African fiction as Wamuwi Mbao sits down with Alistair Mackay to explore his collection of short stories, The Lucky Ones. Discover what makes The Lucky Ones a “dazzling, poignant collection brimming with unforgettable characters and heart,” and why Mackay’s voice stands out in contemporary literature. #TheLuckyOnes #AlistairMackay #WamuwiMbao #Pagecast #LiteraryPodcast #SouthAfricanAuthors #QueerLiterature #ShortStories #ContemporaryFiction #BookChat

Discover the story behind "Journey Kwantu" as Joy Fakude sits down with author Vusumzi Ngxande to chat about South African spiritual identity and beliefs. More about the book: “Kwantu means home” – Vusumzi Ngxande For decades, African spirituality has been demonised or met with suspicion. Many people have had to choose between being a believer, usually in the Christian faith, or believing in their ancestors. Yet often African cultural practices require the involvement of Ancestors in one form or another, which goes against Christian dogma. Journey Kwantu is inspired by Vusumzi Ngxande’s popular podcast of the same name that delves into South African spiritual identity and beliefs and shows how it has evolved over hundreds of years. The book is rooted in extensive historical research, lived experiences and interviews with healers, teachers and ordinary people trying to live out their truth. With a unique ability to simplify complex issues and ask taboo questions, the author endeavours to answers questions like, “Who are we?” and “How did we come to believe what we believe?” In the process he deals with issues he has struggled with on his own spiritual journey, such as death and the afterlife and the authority of the Ancestors vs the Power of God to more practical matters like performing rituals in urban areas and understanding lineage and its impact on one’s spiritual life. Deeply perceptive and engaging, Journey Kwantu offers a guide and spiritual sustenance to African believers. #JourneyKwantu #VusumziNgxande #JoyFakude #Pagecast #SouthAfricanBooks #BookPodcast #AfricanAuthors #Heritage #Culture