South Africa

Although fully recharged after our recent trip to South Africa, Cathy and I now find ourselves navigating the very real effects of jetlag. In a small departure from the usual Tales & Trails format, I have elected to use a piece posted last week on social media by my daughter Paige.

Recently, I had the honour of sitting down for coffee with two extraordinary South African creatives—Fuz Caforio and GG Alcock—both of whom helped bring my dad’s book, ‘Izwi Lami—My Voice’, to life.

My dad has written 8 books: the 5 books of the ‘Dax Hunter Files’ (a ‘faction’, espionage thriller series, with book #6 due for release at the end of May); the beautifully illustrated ‘Manzovo—Place of the Elephants’ (with the late Craig Bone); ‘Bastion Avenues—Building a Bug-out-Bag’; and ‘Izwi Lami—My Voice’, illustrated by Africa’s top wildlife artist, Fuz Caforio.

Without exaggeration, Fuz’s realistic wildlife paintings are often mistaken for high-resolution photographs, which help transform ‘Izwi Lami’ into a true coffee-table masterpiece that celebrates both Africa’s heritage and the natural world.

Besides getting to meet the incomparable Fuz Caforio, I also got to reconnect with GG Alcock, who wrote the foreword for ‘Izwi Lami’. While GG needs little introduction, his remarkable story delivers great insight into South Africa’s booming ‘informal’ eKasi market economy.

After being blown away by his first books, ‘KasiNomics’ and ‘KasiNomic Revolution’, I can’t wait to get into ‘KasiNomics Unleashed’, the third in the series.

BACKGROUND TO ‘IZWI LAMI - MY VOICE’

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Battle of Isandhlwana, ‘Izwi Lami’ tells the story of a young boy on the verge of manhood, eager to test his mettle in a looming showdown that was to humiliate the British Empire and become one of history’s great military victories.

On 22 January 1879, a massive Zulu force of around 20,000 warriors, armed primarily with traditional spears (assegais) and shields, defeated a phalanx of British regiments at Isandlwana in the heart of the Zulu empire. Despite facing a well-trained, well-equipped foe, the Zulu royal regiments overwhelmed the British through brilliant strategy, courage, and numbers. Nearly 150 years on, the Battle of Isandhlwana still defines the Zulu Nation and remains a powerful symbol of resistance, pride, and heritage.

Cleverly woven into this historic canvas, ‘Izwi Lami’ explores humanity’s deep responsibility to protect the natural order—the delicate balance between conservation, progress and the land we all share.

Photo: GG Alcock, Gary Albyn & Fuz Caforio