Our Heritage

Mothobi Mutloatse, who was the first independent black publisher during the years of oppression,  established Skotaville Publishers in 1982, co-founded the literary magazine Staff-rider, and currently serves as the chairperson of the Mutloatse Arts Heritage Trust. His rise to prominence came when Skotaville published Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s debut book, Hope and Suffering, which Mutloatse edited and wrote the foreword for. This book quickly became a bestseller and was translated into six languages: Dutch, Spanish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, and Japanese. The German translation alone sold over 80,000 copies—an impressive achievement for a non-German African cleric.

Skotaville Publishers, now named Skotaville Academic Publishing derived its name from Mweli Trevor Skota (1893-1976), former general secretary of the ANC. It stood as South Africa’s pioneering publishing house dedicated to promoting literary and scholarly works authored by Black individuals during one of the most oppressive periods of apartheid rule.

Collaborating with prestigious American publishing houses like Orbis Books and Eerdman’s Publishers further enhanced its prestige within both South African and American readerships – particularly within the realm of Black theology.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Skotaville served as a vital avenue for aspiring Black writers and academics. It also fearlessly published politically sensitive material that other publishers shied away from due to potential government backlash. Mutloatse’s dedication to promoting African thought and uncovering hidden literary talent has left an indelible mark on the literary world.