The Man Who Shook Mountains: In the Footsteps of My Ancestors by Lesley Mofokeng is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

‘This is a South African story of an unsung hero, a man forgotten by history – though not by me, or by the people who knew and respected him …’

When his grandfather gave sermons, he was ‘capable of shaking mountains’, a church elder tells journalist and author Lesley Mofokeng. ‘Ntate Mofokeng pulled people towards God with the great and rare talent of a motivator.’

In this revealing book, Mofokeng investigates the life of his grandfather, Mongangane Wilfred Mofokeng, a prominent Dutch Reformed Church evangelist. As Black South Africans were being evicted in the 1950s from the cities to live in reserves and homelands, Mongangane set out to build a community at a dusty cattle post in the far North West province.

There he managed to establish a resilient community that mostly lived outside the repressions of the apartheid regime. The journey takes the author from Johannesburg’s Marabi-soaked townships of the 1930s to his childhood home of Gelukspan near Lichtenburg and then to rural Free State and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. In what becomes a spiritual quest, he traces the inspirational footsteps of his ancestors and the legendary King Moshoeshoe.

Mofokeng also explores the politics and history of the Dutch Reformed Church’s Black constituency and uncovers why to this day it is called Kereke ya Fora – or ‘Church of the French’ – and its hymns are sung across denominations and in social spaces outside the church.

About the author

Lesley Mofokeng is a former journalist, author and media specialist based in Johannesburg. He has worked for Sunday Times, City Press and Sowetan and is a popular culture commentator radio stations such as Metro FM, YFM, Motsweding FM, Kaya FM as well as several TV shows. Mofokeng’s first book was the bestselling biography Bitch! Please. I’m Khanyi Mbau (2012) and he has authored and edited several other biographies, a recipe book and a collection of essays. He obtained his BA Communication (Honours) from North West University and holds a Master of Arts degree from Wits University.

Categories Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Jonathan Ball Publishers Lesley Mofokeng New books New releases The Man Who Shook Mountains