SOETDORINGS IN DIE RUIGTES

243pp., maps, paperback, Human & Rousseau, Cape Town, 2026

ISBN: 9780798185424

Afrikaans historical novel set in the Eastern Cape during the First World War.

In 1916 veteran Caleb Kelly returns to the family farm, traumatised by his experiences in France. When elephants destroy the windmill he initially wants revenge, but unexpectedly a friendship with the herd develops.

Christiaan Mathys Bakkes was born in 1965 in Vredenburg. He is currently a guide and area manager at Wilderness Safaris in Namibia and lives in Damaraland. His latest publications include Krokodil aan my skouer; Bushveld, Desert, and Dogs: a game ranger’s life; Stoffel op safari and Stoffel in Afrika.