PAGECAST PAGECAST

The Man Who Shook Mountains by Lesley Mofokeng

Loading player...
Thanks for clicking play on Pagecast, a book-centred podcast series brought to you by Jonathan Ball Publishers.

In this episode, Sewela Langeni of Book Circle Capital is in conversation with Lesley Mofokeng, author of The Man Who Shook Mountains

Journalist Lesley Mofokeng investigates the life of his remarkable grandfather, Mongangane Wilfred Mofokeng, a prominent Dutch Reformed Church evangelist who built a thriving community out of the dust of the far North West.

The journey takes him from Joburg’s Marabi-soaked townships of the 1930s to his childhood home of Gelukspan near Lichtenburg and then to the rural Free State and the remote mountain kingdom of Lesotho. In what becomes a spiritual quest, he traces the inspirational footsteps of his ancestors and the legendary King Moshoeshoe.

In the process, Mofokeng proudly claims his heritage and also uncovers a long-lost chapter of South African history and the church of the apartheid regime.

Enjoy the episode!
27 Mar 2023 English South Africa Books · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

There's Something I Must Tell You by Sue Williamson (with Penny Siopis)

"The sweep of it, seeing all those years, is quite extraordinary for an artist." Internationally renowned South African artist Penny Siopis sits down with Sue Williamson for a wide-ranging conversation on her new book There's Something I Must Tell You, published to accompany her landmark retrospective at the Iziko South…
5 Oct 21 min

Kitsie: Memoir of a Bomb-Squad Bok by Steven Kitshoff (with Nick Mallett)

"There was a job to be done." Legendary Springbok coach Nick Mallett sits down with former Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff for a rich, generous conversation on his new memoir Kitsie: Memoir of a Bomb-Squad Bok. They unpack the origins of the Bomb Squad — the name that came from a…
23 Sep 29 min

The South African Cookbook by Nokx Majozi (with Zola Nene)

"An opportunity to hold and be held." This one is a joy from start to finish. Chef, food stylist and best-selling cookbook author Zola Nene sits down with Chef Nokx Majozi for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like two sisters at the kitchen table. Together…
14 Sep 36 min

Pagecast at OBF 2026: Athi-Patra Ruga and Lethogonolo Mokogroane in conversation

For the final episode of Pagecast at the 2026 Open Book Festival, Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane is joined by Athi-Patra Ruga. Athi-Patra Ruga is a South African multidisciplinary artist whose work explores archives, spirituality, colonial histories and speculative world-building across performance, film, tapestry, sculpture and installation. He is also the co-founder of…
6 Sep 11 min

Pagecast at OBF 2026: Natalie Sifuma and Alma-Nalisha Cele in conversation

Natalie Sifuma is a Kenyan writer, researcher, and consultant currently based in Cape Town. She is the founder of Sisters in Climate — a Pan-African climate initiative — and is completing an MPhil in Inclusive Innovation at UCT’s Graduate School of Business, with a focus on social impact, climate, and…
6 Sep 11 min
All episodes