Get to know us.
We are a small, family-run business operating from the beautiful town of Suurbraak in the Western Cape. We respect life, whether animal, plant or human. We are wild at heart and we love words! We are committed to use our decades of experience in both the educational and publishing spheres to make a positive difference in the world.
Read more about us below.
Lise Fourie
Lise Fourie
Lise Fourie obtained a B.Sc. degree at the University of Stellenbosch, majoring in Chemistry and Mathematics. She started out as a chemist at ISCOR, later Mittal Steel. After experimenting with tutoring, part-time teaching, bookkeeping and managing a small-town newspaper, she started teaching full time in 2000 and obtained her PGCE shortly after that.
After more than 8 years of teaching Sciences and Mathematics, she joined the educational publishing team at Oxford University Press. She worked on school textbooks and laboratory guides in various Science subjects. In 2011 she moved to Maskew Miller Longman, later Pearson, where she was eventually responsible for all the Science and Technology products for South African high schools.
Lise started her own business in 2018 and provided authoring and editorial services for Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Edukite and Siyavula. She also taught Physical Sciences for six months at Bosmansdam High School, until a new teacher could be found. She then joined the team at Shuter & Shooter Publishers, and was reponsible for all Sciences, Mathematics and Technology products for the South African market, spanning Grades 1 to 12. In 2024 her team submitted Foundation Phase Mathematics in seven languages and Coding & Robotics in five languages to the Department of Basic Education. In March 2025, all the submitted components were conditionally approved for inclusion in the National Catalogue.
Fred Pheiffer
Fred Pheiffer
Fred Pheiffer studied at UCT, obtaining an MA in Linguistics. From 1989 to 1992 he lectured at Wits in the Department of Afrikaans & Nederlands. He was appointed as Hansard translator, editor and interpreter by the Parliament of South Africa in 1994.
In 1999 he joined Pharos Dictionaries, as co-editor and compiler of the Pharos Afrikaans-English-English-Afrikaans Dictionary, the standard bearer of Afrikaans-English dictionaries. In 2008 he joined the dictionary team at Oxford University Press to project-manage the Oxford Bilingual School Dictionary: isiZulu and English, the first altogether new Zulu-English dictionary in four decades. He also worked as co-editor and compiler on the Oxford South African School Dictionary and the Oxford Afrikaanse Skoolwoordeboek. Looking for yet another challenge, he joined the Pearson team and was co-editor of the 6th edition of the Handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (HAT). Since 2018, he has been a member of the editorial team of the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (WAT).
Fred has been active as freelance language practitioner since the mid-Nineties, working for Tafelberg, Human & Rousseau, Umuzi, Protea, Penguin, City of Cape Town, New Media Publishers and Shuter & Shooter Publishers, amongst others. He was a member of the copy-editing team of the Bible Society’s new Afrikaans Bible translation. Fred is currently a member of the SA Akademie’s Taalkommissie and writes a monthly column for Netwerk24.
Lady
Lady
In 2022, Fisantekraal Animal Welfare found a very hungry and pregnant Lady wandering the streets. After her puppies were born, she was found abandoned yet again.
Lady found her true self in Suurbraak. She is a water baby who loves swimming in the rivier with her humans. She stands guard so that everyone feels safe while they are slaving away behind their computers.
Laika
Laika
Laika was born on the 1st of January 2011 in a backyard in Kuils River. She entered the world with a broken tail and hours after the rest of her siblings.
In her forever home she quickly made sure that she gets addressed as Her Royal Highness Princess Laika. Her body stopped working on 21 June 2025, but her spirit still runs the household and ensures that everything is done according to her very high standards.
