The Jakes Gerwel Foundation / NB Publishers are proud to announce the emerging writers of fiction and non-fiction selected to be part of JGF /NB’s successful mentorship programme 2023. They are Bonisani Sibeko, Nadia Cassim, Faeed Amardien and Reginald Hufkie. They will be mentored by seasoned mentor/editors Angela Briggs for the English writers and Suzette Myburgh for the Afrikaans writers. They’re the lucky ones who will travel and be welcomed to the ever lovely and inspiring Paulet House in Somerset East four times in 2023 – at the end of Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. They will work on refining their manuscripts under the guidance of their mentors. Their completed manuscripts will be handed back to NB at the end of the year where it will be considered for publication.
Bonisani Sibeko was born in South Africa, but grew up in the United Kingdom where his grandfather was living in exile. Bonisani was recruited into the South African State Security Agency where he learned, as an operational scribe for ministers and even the president himself, how important it is to write concisely and engagingly about factual matters. While his current day job is in property management, Bonisani is also a musician, traditional healer and writer. Having assumed the pen name King Afrika Sibeko, he is looking forward to focus increasingly on his calling to write Afrocentric sci-fi and fantasy novels.
Bonisani Sibeko is in Suid-Afrika gebore maar het in die Verenigde Koninkryke grootgeword waar sy oupa in ballingskap was. As ʼn jong seun en tiener was hy reeds geïnteresseerd in die geskrewe woord en het hy sy vrye tyd spandeer deur gedigte, kort wetenskapfiksie-verhale en lirieke te skryf. In ʼn verrassende wending is Bonisani aangestel in die Suid-Afrikaanse Agentskap vir Staatsveiligheid waar hy, as operasionele verslagopsteller vir ministers en selfs die president, geleer het hoe belangrik dit is om bondig en interessant te skryf oor feitlike sake. Hoewel sy daaglike werk op die oomblik in eiendomsbestuur is, is Bonisani ook ʼn musikant, tradisionele heler en skrywer. Met die opneem van die pennaam King Afrika Sibeko sien hy uit daarna om al hoe meer te kan fokus op sy roeping om Afrosentriese wetenskapsfiksie en fantasieverhale te skryf.
Nadia Cassim obtained an honours degree from the School of Architecture and Planning at University of the Witwatersrand in 2008, but chose to pursue a career in fine arts instead. One of her short stories has been included in the anthology Riding the Samoosa Express (published by Modjaji Books) and she has edited the online magazine Irtiqa of which she was also the founder. After running this magazine with its aim to empower Muslim women in her community for eight years, she has taken a step back to focus on writing her first novel.
Nadia Cassim beskryf haarself as ʼn vrygees en ʼn onafhanklike denker. Sy het haar honneursgraad by die Skool van Argitektuur en Beplanning van die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand in 2008 behaal, maar gekies om ʼn loopbaan in die skone kunste te volg eerder as in stadsbeplanning. Sy het reeds twee solo uitstallings gehou en haar skilderye is vertoon by die ikoniese eertydse vrouegevangenis by Grondwetheuwel. Hoewel sy steeds in opdrag skilder, het sy ook die rol as finansiële adviseur asook dié van skrywer en redakteur opgeneem. Een van haar kortverhale is ingesluit in die bundel Riding the Samoosa Express (gepubliseer deur Modjaji Books) en sy was redakteur van die aanlyn-tydskrif Irtiqa wat sy ook tot stand gebring het. Nadat sy hierdie tydskrif met die doel om Moslemvroue in haar gemeenskap te bemagtig vir agt jaar bestuur het, het sy teruggetree om te kan fokus op haar eerste roman.
Faeed Amardien is a teacher at Plumstead High School. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in education (B.Ed.) at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in 2020 with Afrikaans and Accounting as major subjects. He is currently completing an honours degree at the University of the Western Cape. He will be working on his youth novel, set on the Cape Flats, during the mentorship programme in 2023.
Faeed Amardien woon al lank in Parkwood op die Kaapse Vlakte. Hy het sy baccalaureus-graad in onderwys (B.Ed.) by die Kaapse Skiereiland Universiteit van Tegnologie (KSUT) in 2020 voltooi met Afrikaans en Rekeningkunde as hoofvakke. Hy is tans besig met sy honneurs in onderwys met taal- en letterkunde as spesialisasierigting aan die UWK. As jong onderwyser by Hoërskool Plumstead, raak die narratiewe van sy leerders wat uit diverse agtergronde en kulture kom hom baie. Sy benadering tot onderwys is kreatief en sluit ook die gebruik van Kaaps in om sy leerders die wonder van taal te laat ervaar. Daarom wil hy hom ook graag in sy eie skryfwerk toespits op jongmense as teikengroep en werk hy aan ʼn jeugroman.
Reginald Hufkie is a South African actor. He grew up in Schauderville in Gqeberha.. During his studies in transportation management at the University of Johannesburg, he got involved with the university’s drama productions. Reginald played in television series such 7de Laan, High Rollers, Generations, The Legacy, Swartwater, Die Spreeus, Desert Rose and Poena. He has also made his international debut in 2018 in the Danish drama series Liberty. Reginald has appeared in films such as Cowboy Dan (2018) and Nefarious Creatures (2022) while he took on the dual role of writer-actor in Vlamme (2022). In 2021, he released his first album titled Nuwe Lewe/New Life. Reginald enjoys writing sport stories and music, but is now looking forward to writing his first book.
Reginald Hufkie, oftewel Reggie Peace, is ʼn veelsydige Suid-Afrikaanse akteur, sanger, kletsrymer, skrywer en spreker. Ten spyte daarvan dat hy grootgeword het in die minderbevoorregte gemeenskap van Schauderville in Port Elizabeth en die feit dat hy wees gelaat is op 13, het sy deursettingsvermoë en lewenslus gemaak dat hy van krag tot krag gaan. Gedurende sy studies in vervoerbestuur by die Universiteit van Johannesburg, het hy betrokke geraak by die universiteit se teaterproduksies onder leiding van Alby Michaels en Motladji Ditodi. In 2014 het hy sy televisie-debuut gemaak in Single Galz, waarna hy bekend geword het deur ander televisierolle in, byvoorbeeld, 7de Laan, High Rollers, Generations – The Legacy, Swartwater, Die Spreeus, Desert Rose en Poena. Hy het ook in 2018 sy internasionale debuut gemaak in die Deense dramareeks Liberty. Reginald het verskyn in films soos Cowboy Dan (2018) en Nefarious Creatures (2022) terwyl hy in Vlamme (2022) die dubbele rol van skrywer-akteur opgeneem het. In 2021, het hy sy eerste album met die titel Nuwe Lewe/New Life uitgebring. Reginald geniet dit om sportstories en musiek te skryf, maar sien nou uit daarna om sy eerste boek te skryf.
