LAND OF MY ANCESTORS, an epic South African story, based on true events

269pp., paperback, Revised Edition, Cape Town, 2019

Originally published in 2005 as "The People of Welgeval". This edition has a new prologue and epilogue.

Bothlale Tema's fictional re-telling of the history of the Tema family from the farm Welgeval in the Pilansberg, set against the backdrop of slavery, colonialism, the Anglo-Boer War and the rise of apartheid. "All of the main characters were real", from the author's prologue.

"South Africa has been waiting for its Alex Hailey, who traced his family back through slavery and wrote the classicRoots...A rich and moving account of Tema's family history." Fred Mouton, journalist at Die Burger

Bothlale Tema was born in Johannesburg and raised in small villages and towns in the western Transvaal. She was the first Secretary General of the South African National Commission for UNESCO and later worked as Director of Human Resources for the African Commission in Addis Ababa. She is now retired.