A LIFELONG Isipingo resident, Rian Govender, recently celebrated the official launch of his book titled The Land Between Two Rivers, which he described as a love letter to his home town.

He recently spoke at Articulate Africa at the Umnini Thusong Centre in Umgababa, where he officially launched the book.

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When he lost his job late last year, rather than be swept up in waves of negative emotions, Rian decided his catharsis would be done by writing.

Weaving in fiction while staying grounded in reality, he wrote a book charting the rich, storied history of Isipingo.

“So many South Africans feel as though there is no hope for the country. Worse still, there is a load of negativity surrounding Isipingo as a town. Isipingo played a pivotal role in the freedom that we enjoy today, so I felt it important to take people back on a nostalgic journey into my town’s heritage and history,” said Govender.

In his book, the father of two covers significant moments such as the crash-landing of the Dakota plane on what is now known to the community as Dakota Beach, and the April 2022 floods, in addition to speaking about the many apartheid struggle activists that came from Isipingo, heroes of old and unsung heroes of recent.

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“I grew up in a time when we could walk the streets without fear, drink from hosepipes and play cricket along the roads. Now it’s unsafe to walk out of my house at 18:00. Where it was a regular occurrence to get scolded by neighbours when we did something naughty, now, if anyone were to even try, it would be like opening a can of worms. There is still so much beauty in Isipingo. I want this book to show that to people that aren’t aware, and to remind those that forgot,” said Govender.

He hopes that his book will restore his fellow residents’ pride in their community.

“The reason for releasing this book about Isipingo on paperback is that I would like to give it to schools. A way for learners to see where we came from,” said Govender.

This marked the first historical book Rian wrote, as he is used to writing dark psychology and has another published book, Sheep and Wolves.

“I love reading and learning new stuff. I spend a lot of time with my children teaching them about things I learnt as a child, like old games. My son and I often look through our telescope and celestial bodies,” said Govender.

He encouraged budding writers to write about what they enjoy, starting with a few words and building a story from there.

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