After falling under the spell of literary non-fiction writers such as Ryszard Kapucinski and Norman Lewis, I have moved around the wheel of national affairs in South Africa, writing long-form essays on southern African mining, agriculture, land reform, rural security, Diasporic, transport and infrastructure development themes, often living with a community or staying in a particular place for a month or more to better furnish my stories.
I have also worked as a full-time parliamentary reporter, agricultural journalist, and presently I write foreign policy stories full time. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to garner a few awards for my efforts, but more rewarding has been the near constant travel, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
My great interest remains what many call literary non-fiction and others, more specifically, first person ethnography. Where it has proven impossible to find space in newspapers for this form of writing I have published in a variety of books and journals, most recently in the respected occassional publication, The African Cities Reader.
This site contains representative slices of the work I have done, from poetry reviews to experimental satires, to histories of car-guarding, but I hope it is my interest in people that shines through. I’ve been lucky enough to meet and write about some great ones.