Thebe Ikalafeng’s The Traveller is sumptuous

His voice, elan, verve and chutzpah give his biography a true sense of one of South Africa’s great characters. 

Thebe Ikalafeng was born and raised in Kimberley before making the world his oyster. Accepted into Wits, he applied for a scholarship to the US to study just as resistance to apartheid reached its final hours. Philanthropists sent young people abroad to be ready for leadership when freedom came. 

He excelled. Ikalafeng had started with plans to be an accountant but then realised his acumen for marketing. The can-do young man sent CVs to all the New York companies he wanted to work at; one application caught the eye of Colgate-Palmolive executive Phil Berry, who became Ikalafeng’s mentor. 

The book is a paean to good mentoring; with such a great role model, Ikalafeng goes on to mentor creative talents who are stars in South Africa’s firmament.  

The author’s time at Nike is a story that all black young executives (indeed all young executives) should read to be an African in the world. 

As a powerful global brand, Ikalafeng insisted on local campaigns with local heroes and local meaning. 

From Nike, he went on to build his branding business, now recognised as the top consultancy on the continent. The book is filled with the people he has met and the brands (commercial and political) he has helped to build.  

The book’s title is Ikalafeng’s story of travelling across porous and impermeable borders to every African country. 

It is a story of geopolitics, people and adventure. It will make you travel our continent or travel it vicariously.

He summited Kilimanjaro twice and tried his crampons on the seven summits. (I immediately wanted to start training.) 

He goes to all the countries and in the tracks of the narratives in former president Thabo Mbeki’s “I am an African” speech that set the stage for his pan-African presidency.

Ikalafeng is a global citizen. Wherever he lays his hat, it is his home. I particularly enjoyed the account of his time as a young executive at Colgate-Palmolive. 

The book is more about reclaiming and deepening his African identity, from which apartheid sought to alienate people. As the book progresses, he exchanges his gorgeous suits (for which he won many best-dressed accolades) for clothes and brands that express who he has grown into. 

In 2024, Ikalafeng was awarded two honorary doctorates for his contributions to the country and the continent. 

This book is about occupying space, being self-assured and living a well-examined life. It’s also a lot of fun. DM

The Traveller: Crossing borders and connecting Africa by Thebe Ikalafeng is published by Tafelberg.