Former West Rand resident pens ode to the people of his hometown

The streets on which you grow up, live forever in the heart.

Former West Rander turned international businessman, Riaan Marshall, has penned a tribute to the lives and people of his hometown. Set in the spaces between Flora Centre and Randgate, Steelhou is the story that honestly captures the idiosyncrasies of a working-class world. The lead protagonist, Eddie, is a flawed but redeemable hero in the tale of boxing, deception, love, and redemption.

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Steelhou chronicles Eddie’s rise to boxing stardom, his search for a father figure, and his fractured relationships with friends and the women in his life. Riaan grew up in Randgate and Randfontein and his love of the people of the area is evident in his gripping portrayal of West Rand’s determination, grit, passion, and humility. Written in Afrikaans with an English translation on the way, Steelhou is available at all good bookstores as well as on Naledi’s online store

This is Riaan’s first literary attempt and admits writing is a hobby. An electrical engineer by trade, Riaan began his electrician apprenticeship at Hoërskool Jan Viljoen before being advised by teachers he should aim for university. After earning a bursary to attend Rand Afrikaanse Universiteit where he completed his Electrical Engineering degree, Riaan worked for Eskom until 1995 before leaving South Africa. The 62-year-old is now based in France, the home of his three children and three grandchildren.

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The owner of his own company focusing on renewable energy, Riaan has travelled the world but still chose the West Rand as the setting for his tome. Steelhou took Riaan seven years and seven re-writes before being released by Naledi in February. Riaan had always wanted to write and enrolled in SA Writers College to brush up on his technique.
“I found out it was more of a science than my engineering work,” he laughs.

Using Eddie as an analogy, Riaan says, “Writing is like shadow-boxing. Editing is when the shadow hits back.”

Meticulously researched to guarantee authenticity, Riaan describes Steelhou as a book that defies genre. “It starts as a youth novel but gets very serious. It is about emotions, the ups, and downs of life, dreams, and fears. It is a story about how the salt-of-the-earth characters can absorb setbacks and bounce back,” says Riaan.

Filled with drama from page one, the intertwined sub-plots are resolved on the very last page.