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Soetdoring in die ruigtes
194 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
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About the author
Christiaan Bakkes
15 books6 followersChristiaan Mathys Bakkes was born on August 3 1965 in Vredenburg on the West Coast. He matriculated in 1983 at the Pro Arte Art School in Pretoria.
Christiaan was a game ranger in the Kruger National Park when he lost his left arm in February 1994 after two crocodiles attacked him while he was swimming in a dam. He travelled through Africa for five months after his recovery, worked for the WWF in the Kaokoveld in Namibia for three years, after which he worked for a safari company that conducted eco tours at the Skeleton Coast. He is currently a guide and area manager at Wilderness Safaris in Namibia. He lives in Damaraland in the northwest of Namibia.
His debut, Die lang pad van Stoffel Mathysen, was published in 1998 and four more books about the adventures of his alter ego, Stoffel have since been published. Most of these stories are based on real life experiences.
Stoffel by die afdraaipad was nominated in 2005 for the M-Net literary prize for short format texts (short stories, children’s or youth novels).
In 2008 In Bushveld and Desert: A Game Ranger’s Life, translations of several of his stories, was published.
Christiaan was a game ranger in the Kruger National Park when he lost his left arm in February 1994 after two crocodiles attacked him while he was swimming in a dam. He travelled through Africa for five months after his recovery, worked for the WWF in the Kaokoveld in Namibia for three years, after which he worked for a safari company that conducted eco tours at the Skeleton Coast. He is currently a guide and area manager at Wilderness Safaris in Namibia. He lives in Damaraland in the northwest of Namibia.
His debut, Die lang pad van Stoffel Mathysen, was published in 1998 and four more books about the adventures of his alter ego, Stoffel have since been published. Most of these stories are based on real life experiences.
Stoffel by die afdraaipad was nominated in 2005 for the M-Net literary prize for short format texts (short stories, children’s or youth novels).
In 2008 In Bushveld and Desert: A Game Ranger’s Life, translations of several of his stories, was published.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 30, 2026
Soetdoring in die Ruigtes is ’n aangrypende, sensitiewe en diep menslike roman wat feit en fiksie verweef om die geskiedenis van die Addo olifante lewe gee. Die verhaal begin in 1916 met Caleb Kelly, ’n jong veteraan wat getraumatiseerd terugkeer na sy familieplaas in die Oos Kaap. Sy ontmoeting met ’n jong olifantkoei wat sy lewe spaar, word die keerpunt wat sy woede in empatie verander. Van daar af ontwikkel hy ’n merkwaardige verbintenis met die trop wat tussen die ruigtes skuil.
Bakkes se beskrywings van die olifante se intelligensie, emosies en kommunikasie is roerend en oortuigend. Die kontras tussen Caleb se groeiende liefde vir die natuur en die boeregemeenskap se frustrasie oor die skade aan hul lemoenboorde skep ’n kragtige spanningslyn. Dewald Troskie, die grootwildjagter wat aangestel word om die olifante uit te roei, bring ’n donker, politieke en morele kompleksiteit na die verhaal.
Die roman se latere hoofstukke leun sterker op historiese feite, insluitend die rol van Percy Fitzpatrick en Deneys Reitz in die stigting van die Addo olifantpark. Dit is soms pynlik om te lees, veral die tonele van olifantslagtings, maar dit is juis hierdie rou eerlikheid wat die boek so belangrik maak.
’n Pragtige huldeblyk aan die natuur en ’n herinnering aan wat verlore kan gaan as ons nie bewaar nie.
Bakkes se beskrywings van die olifante se intelligensie, emosies en kommunikasie is roerend en oortuigend. Die kontras tussen Caleb se groeiende liefde vir die natuur en die boeregemeenskap se frustrasie oor die skade aan hul lemoenboorde skep ’n kragtige spanningslyn. Dewald Troskie, die grootwildjagter wat aangestel word om die olifante uit te roei, bring ’n donker, politieke en morele kompleksiteit na die verhaal.
Die roman se latere hoofstukke leun sterker op historiese feite, insluitend die rol van Percy Fitzpatrick en Deneys Reitz in die stigting van die Addo olifantpark. Dit is soms pynlik om te lees, veral die tonele van olifantslagtings, maar dit is juis hierdie rou eerlikheid wat die boek so belangrik maak.
’n Pragtige huldeblyk aan die natuur en ’n herinnering aan wat verlore kan gaan as ons nie bewaar nie.
March 16, 2026
Lekker storie oor die Addo Olifant park se begin
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews