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More Than A Story

Join us as we uncover the hidden, untold, and unforgettable stories that have shaped the African continent. Tales of adventure, transformation, conflict and wonder. 

Through immersive story-based podcasts, we bring history and heritage to life in ways that connect, inspire and endure. 

Each season we explore a singular narrative - sometimes legendary, often overlooked but always rooted in the people and places that define Africa's past and present. 

From shipwrecks and survival to frontier encounters and cultural crossroads, our stories go deeper than names and dates. They're lived adventures, layered histories, and journeys of discovery. 

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This is more than storytelling.

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This is More Than A Story. 

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Have an epic personal tale you want to share?

Africa is rich with untold stories - epic, personal, and powerful. If you have or know a story that deserves to be heard, we’d love to hear from you. Share it with us, you might just hear it on the show.​​

Key themes include:

  • Resistance & resilience

  • Migration & movement

  • Conservation & bush tales

  • Knowledge systems & innovation

  • Colonialism & its aftermath

  • African women & leadership

  • Trade, wealth & civilisations

  • Cultural identity & unity

  • Sport & music

  • Spirituality & belief systems

  • Youth, reclamation & the future

Our Mission

At More Than A Story, our mission is to bring light to the powerful, often overlooked African stories that have shaped our continent and its people. Through storytelling, we aim to inspire, educate, and connect listeners across Africa and beyond, reminding us of our shared history, strength, and potential.

Your support helps us uncover these stories, produce high-quality episodes, and reach wider audiences. With your help, we can continue building a platform that celebrates African voices and unites communities through the power of story.

If you believe in what we’re doing, please consider supporting the show. Every contribution, big or small, brings us closer to our vision.

Thank you for helping us tell Africa’s story, together.

Latest Episode

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Boer War: Guerrillas in the Cape

A small Boer commando led by Jan Smuts crosses into the Cape Colony and finds itself trapped in a hostile land - hunted by thousands of British soldiers, driven to the brink by hunger, storms, and the unforgiving mountains. Through the eyes of young Deneys Reitz, we follow their desperate journey as they cling to survival with only two cartridges between them, their horses dying beneath them, and every farmstead a potential trap.

Just when collapse seems certain, the commando seizes a rare chance: a British cavalry camp hidden in a Karoo valley. What follows is one of the boldest raids of the war - an audacious assault that arms and equips the starving men, turning fugitives into fighters again. This episode reveals the grit, tragedy, and unexpected humanity that shaped the guerrilla war, and the moment Smuts’ men carved their place in history.

Our Stories

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube

THE GROSVENOR COLLECTION: SURVIVAL ON THE WILD COAST

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"First episode and I'm hooked! As a resident of the village I love that the stories are being kept alive. Very well written"   -   "I've been waiting for someone to make this podcast! Unbelievable story, very well-told"   -   "Brilliantly written and narrated story"   -   "Beautifully told"   -   "Loved every second of this story"   -   "Following on Google Maps while I listen! Epic"   -   "Marvellous Nic and team. Great intro to the appropriately named Wild Coast"  -   "A captivating story. Beautifully told"

In 1782, a British East Indiaman named the Grosvenor struck the wild and jagged coastline of what is now South Africa’s Eastern Cape. What followed was not just a tale of shipwreck, but a haunting odyssey across one of the most treacherous, and politically volatile regions in the world.

Over a hundred survivors stepped ashore that morning. Most would never be seen again.

This is a story of betrayal and bravery, of desperation and endurance. It’s a story of colonial frontiers and clashing cultures, of women and children abandoned, of diamonds lost and found. Of a young Anglo-Indian boy whose suffering moved a nation, and of men who vanished into the wilderness, never to return.

Through the archives, into the veld, and across time, we uncover what happened when the sea delivered a shipload of strangers into a land already at war, with itself.

Episode 1
Survival on the Wild Coast: Treasures & Trials

Inspired by a childhood memory of a shipwreck told by his grandfather, the author recounts the dramatic tale of the Grosvenor. This isn't just a shipwreck story; it's a journey through history, intertwined with a modern mystery.

The narrative begins with Johannes Bock's 1927 discovery of Indian diamonds in South Africa, leading to his wrongful conviction. Years later, scholars link these gems to a shipwreck, unveiling a larger story of survival and cultural clashes.

In 1782, the Grosvenor, overloaded and off-course, sails towards an unknown fate. Captain Coxon, driven by ambition, and passengers like William Hosea, burdened by secrets, are unaware of the gathering human storm on the African coast. Meanwhile, Dutch settlers, led by van Jaarsveld, violently expand their territory, clashing with the amaXhosa.

As the Grosvenor nears the treacherous coast, a fatal miscalculation by Captain Coxon leads to its catastrophic wreck. Survivors face not only the unforgiving sea but also a land already at war, setting the stage for a compelling and tragic saga.

Episode 2
Survival on the Wild Coast: Cast by Chaos

The 1782 shipwreck of the Grosvenor off the Wild Coast of Africa was a cascade of errors. Captain Coxon’s reckless winter voyage, outdated maps, and a lack of caution led to the East Indiaman striking a hidden reef. Amidst a terrifying storm, chaos erupted as the ship broke apart. Despite the valiant efforts of sailors to secure a lifeline to shore, many were lost to the raging sea and splintering wreckage.

Against all odds, the stern eventually washed ashore, bringing most of the survivors to land. Exhausted and terrified, they faced an uncertain future among the amaMpondo, the indigenous people of the coast. This was not the first encounter for the amaMpondo, who had their own rich history of shipwrecks and castaways, including the remarkable tale of Bessie, an English orphan who, decades earlier, became a queen in Pondoland.

The Grosvenor survivors, stripped of their social distinctions, huddled together, aware that their fate now lay in the hands of this new land and its inhabitants. Their journey had just begun.

Episode 3
Survival on the Wild Coast: Before the Grosvenor

The African coast holds a rich history of shipwrecks, a prelude to the Grosvenor's tragic fate. The Portuguese galleon, Sao Joao, wrecked in 1552 near Port Edward, leaving its survivors to a harrowing journey inland. Many perished from starvation, dehydration, and hostile encounters, including Captain Manuel de Soussa and his wife, Leanor. Only a small group eventually reached Delagoa Bay, rescued by an ivory merchant.

Two years later, the Sao Bento met a similar end, its survivors scavenging and encountering those from the Sao Joao who had integrated with local communities. Later, Captain Joseph de Cabreyra's leadership after a wreck at the Umzimvubu River mouth led to the construction of two new vessels, demonstrating local cooperation.

In 1684, the British ship Good Hope was lost, but some of its crew chose to live among local people, later assisting survivors of the Stavenisse and Bonaventura. These events highlighted the complex and often generous interactions between shipwrecked Europeans and indigenous African tribes, dispelling previous misconceptions. The 1755 wreck of the Dodington and the discovery of Robert Clive's treasure further add to this dramatic maritime history, underscoring the formidable yet often compassionate landscape awaiting those cast ashore.

Episode 4
Survival on the Wild Coast: Costly Calls

On August 5th, 1782, the Grosvenor shipwrecked off the Transkei coast. Survivors, led by Captain Coxon, initially headed south, believing the Cape Colony was 200 miles away. Their journey was fraught with conflict with local Pondo people, dwindling supplies, and internal strife. Second Mate William Shaw, gaining the crew's trust, eventually led a breakaway group inland after Coxon's authority collapsed.

Shaw's group faced extreme hardship, including starvation and attacks. After days of desperate searching for food and facing impassable rivers, they encountered the amaTshomane, a friendly Pondo clan, who offered a brief respite. However, oblivious to the fact that other European castaways lived peacefully nearby, they pressed on. As more men succumbed to exhaustion and hunger, Shaw, too, eventually perished. The remaining nine, heartbroken, continued their desperate march south, a testament to humanity's enduring, yet fragile, will to survive.

Episode 5
Survival on the Wild Coast: A Sombre Salvation

On August 11, 1782, a week after the Grosvenor wrecked, Captain Coxon abandoned many survivors, including the Hosea family and three young children, leading loyalists inland. William Hosea, once wealthy, perished from starvation. Meanwhile, another group, led by carpenter Thomas Page and later steward Henry Lillburne, endured a brutal trek. Young Tom Law, protected by Lillburne, succumbed to illness, followed by Lillburne himself.

As their numbers dwindled, a small group of six, including John Hynes and Barney Leary, found hope. Robert Price, a resourceful young servant, discovered a freshwater spring, revitalizing their spirits. After months of unimaginable hardship, they were discovered by Dutch farmhands on November 29th, 118 days after the wreck. Saved by Mnr. Christiaan Ferreira, their long nightmare finally ended.

Episode 6
Survival on the Wild Coast: Reflections & Resolutions

Sailor William Habberley, battling scurvy, was taken in by a Xhosa chief, receiving food and shelter, only to be banished after a cultural misstep. He continued his journey, encountering other benevolent tribes and eventually fellow castaways Tom Lewis, Bianco, and Paro. Lewis, content with Xhosa life, remained, while Bianco and Paro continued, with Paro perishing in the desert.

A rescue mission, orchestrated by Governor van Plettenberg, eventually found Habberley, Lewis, and Bianco, along with others. Despite the ongoing Anglo-Dutch War, humanity prevailed, and the survivors were offered safe passage. Habberley's warnings about the northward journey proved true, and the mission failed to reach the wreck. Ultimately, only a handful of the Grosvenor's 141 souls returned home, their tales of survival, compassion, and loss etched into history. The wreck's fabled treasures remained elusive, but its human stories endured, including the poignant tale of John Bryan, who found a new life and family among the Pondo people.

Survival on the Wild Coast is sponsored by:

Primary References

  • Crampton, H. (2003). The Sunburnt Queen: A True Story. Johannesburg: Jacana Media.

  • Kirby, P. R. (1953). The True Story of the Grosvenor East Indiaman: As Told by the Survivors and in the Official Records. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

  • Mellett, P. (2020). The Lie of 1652: A Decolonised History of Land. Cape Town: Tafelberg.

  • Taylor, S. (2004). The Caliban Shore: The Wreck of the Grosvenor and the Strange Fate of Her Survivors. London: Faber & Faber.

  • Turner, S. (1955). Portrait of a Pioneer. Cape Town: Maskew Miller.

  • Dalrymple, W. (2019). The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

  • Carter, G. (1791). Narrative of the Loss of the Grosvenor East Indiaman, which was unfortunately wrecked upon the Coast of Caffraria, somewhere between the 27th and 32nd Degrees of Southern Latitude, on the 4th of August, 1782. London: G. Nicol.

  • Hynes, J. (c. 1790s). Account of the Wreck of the Grosvenor and the Journey of the Survivors.

  • Laband, J. (2020). Land Wars: The Dispossession of the Khoesan and AmaXhosa in the Cape Colony. Johannesburg: Penguin Random House South Africa.

Episode 7
Congo's Ghost: The Betrayal of Patrice Lumumba

In 1960, Patrice Lumumba rose to power as the first Prime Minister of Congo, a nation newly independent from brutal Belgian colonial rule. His impassioned speech defying the King of Belgium on independence day marked him as a fearless leader, but also made him a target. As Lumumba fought for a truly unified and independent Congo, he faced immediate challenges: a mutiny in the army, the secession of the resource-rich Katanga province backed by Belgian interests, and the looming shadow of the Cold War. His desperate appeal to the Soviet Union for aid solidified Western fears, leading to a calculated conspiracy involving foreign powers and domestic rivals to remove him.

 

Dragged through the streets, isolated, and ultimately betrayed, Lumumba was brutally assassinated in January 1961, at just 35 years old. His death was a deliberate act to crush the dream of a truly free Africa and to ensure continued access to Congo's vast mineral wealth. Yet, the attempt to erase him failed. Lumumba's legacy grew louder in his absence, becoming a potent symbol of resilience, dignity, and the enduring struggle against imperial influence. This is more than a historical account; it's a gripping tale of power, betrayal, and a dream that refused to die. 

Primary References
Episode 8
Boer War: Guerrillas in the Cape
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In 1901, a small Boer commando led by Jan Smuts crossed into the Cape Colony with almost no food, barely any ammunition, and the British Army hunting them from every direction. Among them was a young soldier named Deneys Reitz, who would witness one of the most extraordinary survival stories of the war.

For weeks they moved like ghosts through the mountains - starving, freezing, losing horses to storms and men to exhaustion. Every night they slept in wet clothes under the open sky, and every dawn brought the risk of capture or death.

But when all hope seemed gone, a farmer whispered of a British cavalry camp hidden in a valley ahead. Smuts took the gamble. What followed was one of the boldest raids of the entire war - an attack that armed and fed the starving commando, turned fugitives into fighters again, and cemented their place in history.

This episode tells the story of that journey: the grit, the heartbreak, the human moments shared between enemies, and the sheer willpower that kept Smuts’ men alive in the Cape. If you love stories of endurance, courage, and the hidden corners of South African history, this one is for you.

References

Primary Sources

  • Reitz, Deneys. Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War. Faber & Faber, 1929.
    (Eyewitness account of the Cape campaign, including the Modderfontein skirmish, the mountain descent, and Smuts’ leadership.)

  • Smuts, Jan. The Smuts Papers. Edited by W.K. Hancock and Jean van der Poel. Cambridge University Press, multiple volumes.
    (Personal letters, war correspondence, and reflections on the guerrilla campaign.)

  • **Kitchener, H.H. War Despatches 1899–1902.
    (British primary documents providing insight into scorched earth policy, blockhouse system, and counter-guerrilla strategy.)

Secondary Works – Boer War Histories

  • Pakenham, Thomas. The Boer War. Abacus, 1979.
    (Definitive modern history of the conflict; strong detail on strategy, personalities, and political motives.)

  • Farwell, Byron. The Great Anglo-Boer War. Harper & Row, 1976.
    (Readable, well-researched narrative covering both conventional and guerrilla phases.)

  • Nasson, Bill. The South African War 1899–1902. Arnold Publishers, 1999.
    (Highly regarded academic work, balanced and analytically rich.)

  • Stowell, Ellison. The 17th Lancers: A History. Regimental Press.
    (Context on the regiment involved in the Modderfontein clash.)

Biographical & Contextual Works

  • Hancock, W.K. Smuts: The Sanguine Years (Vol. 1). Cambridge University Press, 1962.
    (Biography detailing Smuts’ development, military philosophy, and leadership.)

  • Laband, John. The Transvaal Rebellion and the Making of South Africa.
    (Useful for contextualizing Boer republican identity and political background.)

  • Cuthbertson, Greg. “South Africa’s Concentration Camps 1900–1902.” Journal of Southern African Studies.
    (Academic analysis of the camp system and civilian suffering.)

Copyright @More Than A Story 2025
nicmox@gmail.com
Howick, KZN, South Africa

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