Thwala Paperback - 2017

Eve Clayton (born Evelyn Stewart) spent her formative years in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Born in 1955, a second child with 3 brother siblings, she completed a Bachelor's Degree at Rhodes University (majoring in English and Speech and Drama) and then qualified as a teacher. She taught at Cambridge High School in East London (South Africa) for 5 years, marrying the love of her life, Robin Clayton in 1981, and they moved into the Lower Albany farming district (also known as Settler Country because of its colonial links with the British Settlers) in 1983. She had two children (wrote a historical saga, TV script and a short story, none published) and then in 1994 started a six year spell teaching at Shaw Park Primary, a small, white farm school earmarked for closure under the new democracy that South Africa was to become. As Principal she opted to open the doors to all race groups rather than closing, and Shaw Park Primary became a haven for black parents desperate to access decent education. Numerous dramatisations and school plays kept the pen in hand. After six years she took a break from teaching and immersed herself in supporting her daughters through high school. Towards the end of this spell she wrote the first version of Thwala, under a different title, but again failed to publish, and so she returned to teaching. When she reached the age of 60, close to retirement, she made up her mind to self-publish no matter what. It was a 'Eureka moment' when she decided to use the Xhosa title 'THWALA' because the book was about Africa, and all South Africans of various races, but especially the Xhosa people. The result has been an extremely tough, thrilling and rewarding journey. And she has not reached the destination yet.