Westridge author on Comic Con panel

A Westridge author will be part of the Comic Con at Cape Town International Convention Centre this weekend.

Kyle Jantjies, 27, who is an author, biologist, adventurer, school teacher and assistant Sensei for the Golden Dragon School of Ninjutsu will be part of a panel at the event.

Panels typically run for an hour and discuss a pre-arranged subject.

Kyle’s 13 fantasy and adventure books, nine of which were written and published in 2021, achieved a Top 100 sales ranking on Amazon.com.

He’s extremely excited to be involved at the Comic Con which he has always wanted to be a part of.

“It's my first time attending this. Not only will I sell my own books at Comic Con but I’ll have the opportunity to be part of the panel speaking about: The State of Fantasy and Adventure in South Africa. I'm very passionate about fantasy and adventure. I'm hoping to make a big impact, sell loads of books, meet lots of people and connect with people,” he said.

“I love adventure, I have a very active imagination, I have big plans for my own life and I express all my interests in my writing. I would love to explore the jungles of the Congo one day. This inspired me to write a book about an adventure to the Congo,” he said.

Kyle holds a black belt in Ninjutu, the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare and guerrilla warfare, he said.

“I love martial arts and tournaments, so I've written stories around this too. I love military training and structure, there are elements of that in my writing. Whatever my interests are, these are the same things that make up my writing,” Kyle said. “I've had ideas for video games with storylines, movies and now books as well. Writing somehow came naturally after that.”

The teacher at Mount View High School in Hanover Park has an honours degree in Molecular Biology and has recently submitted a thesis for his masters. He is also the founder of a debate club at the University of the Western Cape discussing science-related matters.

He teaches mathematics, geography and life orientation at the same school where her completed his matric.

"I decided to reinvest in young people by becoming a teacher and launching a book club to inspire a love for reading,” Kyle said.

Kyle’s mother, Evonne Jantjies, is also a teacher and avid reader.

“She instilled that love for reading into me from a young age. That helped me to grow through my understanding, my imagination, and my vocabulary. My mother has also taught me to live in the ways of the Lord,” he said.

When he started writing, his father had already died but his mother was very supportive and always guided the to do their best, he said.

Ms Jantjies said she’s very excited but not surprised by her son’s success.

“He was created and destined for greatness. Go make your mark, and make yourself known. Make sure you encourage and cultivate a love for reading in our nation,” said Ms Jantjies.

Kyle’s Ninjutsu coach and friend, Granville Arendse, said he met Kyle six years ago when he joined his martial arts dojo and he expressed his desire to write.

“I encouraged him to pursue his writing as it should go hand in hand with his martial arts journey. It's a great honour and privilege for me to know that Kyle is part of the Comic Con. I take great inspiration from his journey,” he said.

Kyle’s self-funded books are available at all major bookstores countrywide and on Amazon.