The team at Xword.co.za is a dedicated group of professionals who take pride in their work. Each member is experienced in his or her own field, as well as in the compilation of puzzles, and has an extensive general knowledge and reliable reference base.

Listen: 702 radio talks to Xword (20mb MP3)

Anina Roux

Anina Roux is a freelance journalist living in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has close to 40 years experience in the compilation of not only a wide variety of crossword puzzles and word games (in both English and Afrikaans), but also various Sudoku types. While initially working on her own, Anina started building up a solid reputation for the professionalism and timeous delivery of her crossword puzzles for various publications. With the demand for her creative work increasing, she decided to expand the business and to start teaching a few close relatives the secrets of crossword compiling. Thus the family business, Xword, was born. Today a team of eight people create and edit a large variety of puzzles and word games for various South African and even international clients. In collaboration with her team members Louise van Tonder, Albé Grobbelaar, Samantha McKendrick and Rick van Tonder, four Afrikaans puzzle books were published by Xword between 2007 and 2009. These were Groot Afrikaanse Pretboek, Bybelblokraaiboek, Grootdruk-blokraaiboek and the Finweek Blokkiesraaiselboek.

Louise van Tonder

Louise is a qualified social worker who lived and worked in Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom and Johannesburg. Presently she resides in Stellenbosch where she administers her husband's architectural firm. She loves sewing and this hobby has developed into a business that provides curio shops and game farms with craft products. Louise is also a freelance writer and some of her sketches have been published in various magazines. She compiles and subedits crossword puzzles, coded puzzles and arrow word puzzles in Afrikaans.

Albé Grobbelaar

Albé Grobbelaar is an awarded broadcaster and journalist with more than 30 years experience in radio and television. He is currently a lecturer in media studies at the University of the Free State. He is also an author, a blogger, a game farmer and a passionate bridge player and biker. Albé wrote and presented the daily programme, Historiese Almanak, for Radio Suid-Afrika and published a book with the same title in 1985. He received two Artes awards while still working for the SABC; one for his work in television and one for radio. Based in Bloemfontein, he specialises in crossword puzzles and word games where general knowledge is a prerequisite, and is responsible for the compilation and subbing of crossword puzzles, cryptic puzzles and quizzes.

Samantha McKendrick

Samantha McKendrick is a world traveller who has worked on a kibbutz in Israel, served in a family bar in London, worked for an insurance company in Wales and even attempted parachuting once, but with less success! She resides in Sydney, Australia and is a software developer. Samantha is the "mathematical brain" of the team; she is responsible for all number puzzles such as Sudoku and Kakuro. She also compiles certain English puzzles such as Targets and Coded Crosswords.

Rick van Tonder

Rick van Tonder is a qualified journalist and photographer, but it is his love for language that makes him dedicate his life to crossword puzzles. He has an advanced diploma in journalism and photography and worked for Media24 and Independent Newspapers as a journalist cum photographer cum layout artist. Rick lives in Cape Town, where it is easy for him to enjoy his love for nature and sport. He admits that nothing makes him happier than having a fine glass of Cape wine with his wife. Rick is equally adept at compiling and subbing English and Afrikaans puzzles. He also acts as coordinator for Xword, which means that every puzzle comes to him before being sent to the publications.

Carin Loesch

Carin was the first person to help Anina with the compilations of arrow word puzzles. That was in the late 80's when pencil and paper were used to create puzzles and when every word had to be looked up manually in printed dictionaries. Then, after an interval of many years, during which time Carin worked for Southern Suns, travelled abroad, was the lead singer in a band, got married and sold paint to panel beaters in the automotive industry, she joined Xword again at the beginning of 2008. Carin compiles and subs puzzles in English and Afrikaans and does woodcarving as a hobby.

Estelle de Swardt

Completing crossword puzzles was part of life for Estelle de Swardt when she was still in high school and the arrow word in Huisgenoot was her favourite. Her first job, after completing her BA Communications studies at RAU, was therefore as good as written in the stars. It was at Huisgenoot and You magazines where her main responsibilities were to secure sponsorships for their weekly crossword competitions and to draw the winners. And yes, they even paid her! Appointments at Woman's Value, Sarie and Threads and Crafts magazines followed whereafter she went solo as a freelance journalist and sub-editor. In 2008 she joined the Xword team to come full circle in her crossword career - completing to compiling. Estelle compiles and subedits puzzles in English and Afrikaans and shares her home with better-half Ivan Naude and their adorable Boxer-cross, Penny.

Duard Grobbelaar

Duard Grobbelaar is the newest addition and youngest member of the Xword team. After obtaining his B.A. degree from the University of the Free State, where his zany exploits as a campus DJ were legendary, he completed a post-graduate diploma in Media Management at the Rhodes University in Grahamstown. He is currently the station manager of Kovsie FM, a local community radio station in Bloemfontein and in his free time, Duard compiles and subedits puzzles in English and Afrikaans.

Xword se span is 'n toegewyde groep professionele mense wat hulle werk baie geniet. Elke lid is ervare in sy of haar belangstellingsveld, het 'n uitgebreide algemene kennis, maak gebruik van betroubare verwysings en is 'n gesoute saamsteller van raaisels.

Radio Sonder Grense gesels met Xword (6mb MP3)

Anina Roux

Anina Roux is 'n vryskutjoernalis en woon in Johannesburg. Sy het byna 40 jaar se ondervinding in die saamstel van verskillende soorte blokkiesraaisels, blokraaisels en woordspeletjies, in beide Afrikaans en Engels, sowel as verskeie tipes Sudoku. Anina se naam het oor die jare sinoniem geword met professionaliteit en met pasgemaakte raaisels wat betyds aan publikasies gelewer word. Die groeiende aanvraag na haar kreatiewe werk het tot gevolg gehad dat sy die besigheid moes uitbrei. So is die familiesaak Xword gebore. Vandag bestaan Xword uit agt mense wat verskeie raaisels en woordspeletjies vir uiteenlopende publikasies en klante in Suid-Afrika en selfs in die buiteland saamstel en redigeer. In samewerking met haar spanlede Louise van Tonder, Albé Grobbelaar, Samantha McKendrick en Rick van Tonder is vier boeke tussen 2007 en 2009 deur Xword uitgegee, nl. Groot Afrikaanse Pretboek, Bybelblokraaiboek, Grootdruk-blokraaiboek en die Finweek Blokkiesraaiselboek.

Louise van Tonder

Louise is 'n gekwalifiseerde maatskaplike werker wat al in Bloemfontein, Potchefstroom en Johannesburg gewoon en gewerk het. Tans is haar tuiste Stellenbosch waar sy haar man se argiteksfirma administreer. Sy is ook lief om naaldwerk te doen. Hierdie stokperdjie het tot 'n besigheid gegroei en van haar kunstige handwerkprodukte word aan toeristewinkels en wildplase verskaf. Louise is ook 'n vryskutskrywer en verskeie van haar sketse is al gepubliseer. Sy redigeer en stel blokraaisels, foto-blokraaisels, blokkiesraaisels en kode-raaisels in Afrikaans saam.

Albé Grobbelaar

Albé Grobbelaar is 'n bekroonde uitsaaier en joernalis met 30 jaar se ondervinding in radio en televisie. Hy is tans 'n dosent in mediastudie aan die Vrystaatse Universiteit. Hy is ook 'n vryskutskrywer, wildboer en 'n passievolle brugspeler en motorfietsryer. Albé het die daaglikse program, Historiese Almanak, vir Radio Suid-Afrika geskryf en aangebied, en 'n boek met dieselfde titel in 1985 gepubliseer. Tydens sy jare by die SAUK was hy die wenner van twee Artes-toekennings - een vir sy werk in televisie en die ander vir radio. Met sy tuiste in Bloemfontein, is Albé 'n gereelde samesteller van blokkiesraaisels en woordspeletjies waarin veral algemene kennis 'n rol speel. Hy redigeer ook ander Xword-spanlede se raaisels.

Samantha McKendrick

Samantha McKendrick is 'n internasionale reisiger wat op 'n kibboets in Israel gewerk het, 'n gesinskroeg in Londen bestuur het, in Wallis vir 'n versekerings- maatskappy gewerk het en selfs, een keer, 'n valskermsprong gemaak het wat minder suksesvol was! Sy bly nou in Sydney, waar sy rekenaarsagteware vir die Australiërs ontwikkel. Samantha is die span se "wiskundige brein", sy is verantwoordelik vir al die nommerraaisels soos Sudokus en Kakuros. Sy is ook verantwoordelik vir sekere Engelse raaisels soos Teikens en Kode-Blokkiesraaisels.

Rick van Tonder

Rick van Tonder is 'n gekwalifiseerde joernalis en fotograaf, maar dit is sy liefde vir taal wat hom dryf om 'n groot deel van sy lewe aan blokkiesraaisels te wy. Hy het 'n gevorderde diploma in joernalistiek en fotografie en het as 'n joernalis-fotograaf-bladuitlegkunstenaar vir Media 24 en Independent Newspapers gewerk. Rick woon in Kaapstad waar sy liefde vir die natuur en sport maklik uitgeleef word. Hy herken ook dat hy eintlik op sy gelukkigste is om 'n lang dag af te sluit met 'n lekker glasie Kaapse wyn saam met sy vrou. Rick redigeer en stel beide Engelse en Afrikaanse raaisels saam en is ook Xword se koördineerder, wat beteken dat elke raaisel deur sy bekwame hande gaan voordat die publikasies dit ontvang.

Carin Loesch

Carin was Anina se eerste mede-blokraaiopsteller. Dit was in die laat tagtiger jare, toe raaisels nog met potlood op papier geskep is en elke woord in 'n regte gedrukte woordeboek opgesoek moes word. Na 'n tydsverloop van baie jare, waartydens Carin vir Southern Suns gewerk het, oorsee gaan reis het, die hoofsanger was van 'n popgroep, getrou het en in die motorbedryf verf aan duikkloppers verkoop het, het sy aan die begin van 2008 weer by Xword aangesluit. Sy is verantwoordelik vir die saamstel en redigering van raaisels in Afrikaans en Engels.

Estelle de Swardt

Blokraaisels invul was nog altyd deel van Estelle de Swardt se lewe. Op skool kon sy nie wag vir haar weeklikse Huisgenoot-genot nie. Haar eerste werk na voltooiing van haar BA Kommunikasiekunde studies, is toe hoeka by hierdie tydskrif waar sy pryse moes beding vir Huisgenoot en You se blokraaiwedstryde en weekliks die wenners trek. En ja, hulle het haar wraggies nog betaal ook! Toe het betrekkings by Woman's Value, Sarie en Threads & Crafts tydskrifte gevolg, waarna sy vryskutjoernalis en -taalversorger geword het. In 2008 sluit sy by Anina en die Xword-span aan en ondergaan sy die metamorfose van invuller na opsteller. Estelle redigeer en stel raaisels in Afrikaans en Engels saam en deel haar huis met beter helfte, Ivan Naude en hulle ougat Bokser-kind, Penny.

Duard Grobbelaar

As joernalis en radioman in murg en been, is Duard Grobbelaar die jongste toevoeging tot die Xword-span. Na voltooiing van sy B.A.-graad aan die Vrystaatse Universiteit, waar sy kleurryke loopbaan as omroeper by die kampusradiostasie begin het, behaal hy sy nagraadse diploma in mediabestuur by die Rhodes-Universiteit in Grahamstad. Hy is tans die bestuurder van die gemeenskapsradiostasie, Kovsie FM, wat in Bloemfontein uitsaai. Duard redigeer en stel raaisels in Afrikaans en Engels saam.