"There’s been this need for women in particular to have a soft life, but how to get that soft life has just been twisted, especially with the erosion of the family unit."

"My father insisted that I read history books in my spare time, and that shaped my life in many ways."

"Whether you’re selling your soul, body or mind, we’ve all found ourselves in a race where everybody is selling something in exchange for that soft life."

"Life is about taking chances and believing in yourself"

"writing is a space where I can be bold and brazen, uncensored even"

"Yes, writing fiction is risky but then, as they say in finance, the higher the risk, the higher the return"

"A country needs to be judged by the living standards of its poorest people and not the few elite."

"I’m intentional about provoking empathy and creating a conversation around those kind of topics"

"I hate reading a book and not being able to locate myself."

"I think Africa has a wealth of talent which remains largely unknown, never mind celebrated"

"We never go deep into dealing with our wounds. We carry things forward, from one generation to the next"

"I am tired of this portrayal of African women as being timid, oppressed creatures"

"You have people who are affluent and people who are poor. Who decides how the scales are weighed?"

"Wealth comes with its own problems and challenges"

"I believe books should transport you to places, whether real or imagined"

"I think there is a tendency of viewing happiness as a destination and that you can exist in that state forever, I dont buy that."

"I like to show that as much as we like to divide ourselves with borders, we’re more related than we think"

"I enjoy writing all my characters, otherwise they would not make it into my books"

"Writing as a career is not financially lucrative for most writers"

"write for love before you consider writing for money"

"Most of the books I read reinforce the way I think and view things"

"Make small goals – ones that you can see yourself attaining – and celebrate each step of the way. You’re alive. Life wants you to be, and that’s got to count for something. Appreciate life."

"I knew a lot about European history, but I couldn’t tell you anything substantial about African history"

"life has light moments and dark moments. It’s not just a canvas painted with one brush, and so I just wanted to bring all that together to show the different layers, the happy and sad moments"

"my early reading was devoid of Black writers and African literature as a whole"

"If you don't invest in yourself, who do you expect to do that?"

"The success of South Africa’s economic growth strategy will be tested by the country’s ability to maintain its status as Africa’s largest economy"

"And for the first time, I saw how my own music had the power to connect with different races. In those spaces it didn't matter that I was black. It didn't matter that I was young. It didn't matter that I was female. It was just beautiful music. And it gave me a taste and the possibility of freedom, I think."

"I do believe in love—as a verb. Not as some airy-fairy feeling. As a verb. As something you do, you think and you speak."

"We need to own our space. We need to own our career. We need to own our creativity. We need to know that it's possible."

"Accept your situation; that way, you can figure out how to navigate it from an empowered space."

"For me, writing is like being an actress, in a way, because I get into the role, to make it believable. Otherwise you won’t be able to connect and relate to it"

"A lot of religious people are like that. They have zero empathy and a lot more judgement."

"South Africa’s G20 Presidency is not just about convening meetings. It is about shifting the centre of gravity in global conversations and placing people and planet at the heart of development"

"IFFs remain a critical challenge for many countries, especially in developing and low-income countries"

"From illicit finance to inclusive social protection, these agreements reflect not just what we stand for but what we stand to gain when we act together"

"Only by shining light into these shadowy corners of the financial system can we hope to finance sustainable futures"

"Reimagine how the world responds to problems that ignore borders"

"Social protection must be seen not as charity, but as a cornerstone of development, through fostering economic vitality, societal unity, and gender parity"

"Fostering a performance-driven culture across the public service is not optional, but essential"

"These efforts are about more than just oversight. They are about improving outcomes where it matters most, at the point of contact between citizens and the state"

"For us to be able to mobilise resources domestically, we need to deal with the issues of tax evasion and any other things that impact the financial flow"

"South Africa is not without challenges, but it is through this kind of clear-eyed, system-wide reform that is grounded in planning, driven by data and accountable to the people that we can build a state that works"

"South Africa strongly supports the continued engagement of the Financial Action Task Force in identifying gaps and enhancing global cooperation and urges the G20 to adopt an even more development-centred approach"