This Heritage Month marks two major milestones for Exclusive Books: their Homebru campaign – which was started in 2002 to platform South African literary voices – turns 24, while Exclusive Books celebrates 75 years as a proudly South African bookselling brand.
Exclusive Books is celebrating three-quarters of a century by highlighting five categories of local stories that readers can purchase through the Homebru collection campaign running until 30 September 2026.
South African writers stand out with Homebru
In 1951, Exclusive Books opened its first store in King George Street, Johannesburg. Seventy-five years on, the bookselling franchise has grown to 44 stores, extending beyond South Africa to Botswana and Namibia, as well as serving readers online.
Taking place throughout September under the campaign line “This is Home,” Homebru brings together new releases and enduring local favourites that reflect South African life, history, ideas, landscapes, languages and food – all the things that make South Africa home.
Homebru remains the moment when Exclusive Books’ relationship with local storytelling and local readers is most visible, and this year that relationship doubles as a celebration of the brand’s own South African story.
Discover local favourites through Exclusive Books’ special 75-year Homebru collection
Homebru reflects the many different ways in which books capture a sense of home and recognises our talented local authors. This year’s collection is arranged across five categories, inviting readers to rediscover familiar favourites and encounter new South African voices.
Together, the categories demonstrate that heritage is not confined to history books. It lives in the stories families share, the meals prepared across generations, the languages people speak, the places they explore and the ideas that shape how South Africans understand themselves and one another.
“Novel Ideas for Us” – Fiction
Fiction brings together contemporary storytelling and enduring South African classics, including Divine Arrangements by Takalani Mutshinyane, Dogs of Vivo by Sven Axelrad, The Near North by Ivan Vladislavić, Bare VI by Jackie Phamotse, Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew and Spud by John van de Ruit.
Among this year’s Fiction highlights, Takalani Mutshinyane has built a devoted following for the kind of love stories that keep South African readers turning pages long after bedtime. In Divine Arrangements, a jilted bride-turned-chef pours her heartbreak into building a catering business on her grandmother’s land, rising over a decade to become a sought-after chef among Venda’s elite.
At the other end of the shelf, John van de Ruit needs little introduction to South African readers: his 2005 debut novel, Spud, became a publishing phenomenon, smashing local fiction records and winning the Bookseller’s Choice Award, before being adapted into a hit film starring Troye Sivan and John Cleese.
Two decades on, Spud remains a coming-of-age favourite – a comedic, diary-style account of a scholarship boy’s first year at boarding school on the eve of South Africa’s democratic transition, capturing a very particular kind of South African adolescence. The new Spud book, Two for the Road, is available at Exclusive Books now.
“Growing Up with Us” – Grow (Children’s & Educational)
The children’s and educational collection celebrates the stories, languages, wildlife and experiences through which younger readers encounter South Africa. Titles include Athambile Masola’s Dancing Words / Woorde Wat Dans, Refiloe Moahloli’s All That I Am and Erroll Cuthbert’s My First Book of Southern African Wildlife.
“Writefully Ours” – Know
Know explores South Africa’s history, politics and people through titles including Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, Steve Biko’s I Write What I Like, Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, Jonny Steinberg’s Winnie & Nelson, Mpoomy Ledwaba’s How Did We Get Here?, Max du Preez’s End of Normal and Coloured by Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Ebony Chutel.
“Great Tastes for Us” – Taste
Taste celebrates the food, flavours and traditions that bring South Africans together, with books including Mogau Seshoene’s The Lazy Makoti and Reuben Riffel’s Braai.
“Our Country Around Us” – Explore
Explore turns to South Africa’s landscapes, wildlife and natural heritage through titles such as Herman van Niekerk’s Sappi Birds of South Africa: Enhanced Edition, Eddie Germiquet’s South African Birds by Name and Mario Cesare’s Tracks in the Dust.
Need to know
When: The campaign ends on Wednesday, 30 September 2026
Where: Browse and buy from the collection online or at an Exclusive Books location near you
Website: exclusivebooks.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 087 365 4677
Instagram: @exclusivebooks
Facebook: @ExclusiveBooks
See what else is on this Heritage Month
