Features

I like to think of 'lifestyle' as travelling without leaving home. In my case this usually involves eating, drinking, reading, or gardening. But that doesn't mean I won't break out of my comfort zone. A recent feature on the Zip Zap Circus school was a particular favourite.
I'm totally obsessed with history - especially whacky tales from Africa and South America - and I've finally found some publications that are into it as I am. From battles and murderers through to sandwich sauces and trout fishing, you name it, I've written about it.
People
A young Cameroonian nurse who invented a blood-sharing app. A white-haired Peruvian hotelier who's been using tourism to save species for 40 years. An Ethiopian activist whose fixation with truth has seen him spend decades in prison. These people's stories are so incredible that they pretty much write themselves.
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White Rhinos and Black Mambas
Rotary
A cover story on South Africa's only female anti-poaching unit for the flagship magazine of Rotary International. -
Dream Factory
British Airways High Life, January 2019
The personal journey of a Zip Zap circus star. -
The Peruvian chef daring to serve recycled food
OZY
Palmiro Ocampo wants to solve food security in Peru. -
Power Rangers
Morning Calm, December 2019
The Southern African Wildlife College really walks the talk. -
Burglars beware: tech pioneers aim to make South...
The Guardian
Innovative community alarm system provides solution in places where violent crime and theft have become endemic. -
Is it a bird? Is it a bee? No, it’s a lizard...
The Guardian
How a chance encounter with a ‘weird plant’ in the Drakensberg mountains led to a startling discovery -
Who needs Tokyo? Meet South Africa’s Olympic...
The Guardian
Scientists are putting dwarf chameleons through their paces in a series of speed and endurance challenges to study how the species is adapting. -
Can Trudi Makhaya change the dialogue?
Business Day
President Ramaphosa's economic adviser has what it takes. -
Meet the 22-year-old breaking the blood bank crisis in...
OZY.com
Melissa Bime is saving thousands of lives.
History
Nothing gets my pulse racing like an unexpected tale that's been largely forgotten by modernity. While I'll write about absolutely anything old and unexpected, I do have a real soft spot for 19th Century South American Caudillos, foods with political undertones and the surprising nuances of colonialism. As the author of books on the history of both corruption and elections in South Africa, I also know a fair bit about these topics.
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Faith against machine guns
Sunday Times
In remembering the bloodshed and grief of the Bulhoek Massacre, the hope is that we also learn from it. -
The tender-loving touch of friends with benefits
Financial Mail
This Financial Mail cover story which lifts the lid on three centuries of crony capitalism in South Africa was based on our research for Rogues' Gallery. -
Déjà vu at the Zondo show
Sunday Times
Zondo is by no means alone. South Africa has a long and disappointing history of Commissions of Inquiry into State Capture. -
And was there good sport for her husband?
Getaway, August 2019
Lady Anne Barnard played a pivotal role in exposing Sir George Yonge's corruption. Here I retrace her travels into the interior. -
The Shipwreck that forever changed South Africa
BBC Travel
The 1647 shipwreck that led to the birth of South Africa as we know it. -
When the Zulu army gave the British a beating
OZY
The Battle of iSandlwana saw 1,300 Brits killed by Zulus with inferior weaponry. -
Coelacanths 1; Apartheid 0
Financial Mail
When DF Malan lent a scientist a military plane to fetch a fish from the Comoros. Fact is stranger than fiction. -
Why history matters
Daily Maverick
A column where we discuss a topic that's rather close to our hearts. -
Inside SA’s Sin City
Financial Mail
How Sol Kerzner managed to get Lucas Mangope, the apartheid government and Madiba to lubricate his roulette wheels.
Lifestyle
The only difference between lifestyle and travel is that one happens in your own backyard. I've dived into the details of everything from boutique coffee roasteries and handmade wooden surfboards to mushroom hunting and worm farming. Not to mention fermented foods and model cars.
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A South African comfort food born from a pond
BBC Travel
Waterblommetjiebredie is the Cape winter in a bowl. -
Dream Factory
British Airways High Life, January 2019
The personal journey of a Zip Zap circus star. -
The Peruvian chef daring to serve recycled food
OZY
Palmiro Ocampo wants to solve food security in Peru. -
The fish & chips chronicles
British Airways High Life, May 2017
A British classic given a South African twist by Portuguese immigrants. -
Getting the Point
Coffee Magazine, Autumn 2017
Cape Point is bursting with creative people and good coffee. -
Master your craft
Men's Health, February 2017
By teaching himself to make wooden surfboards, Patrick Burnett learnt loads about himself. -
Joburg’s for the birds
British Airways High Life, August 2016
I discover a thriving birding scene in the heart of Jozi. -
Out and about
Lux* Hotel Group
I created a journal to commemorate the first ever Lux*pedition Urban Safari. A really cool and different project. -
If walls could talk
British Airways High Life, February 2016
The Cape Town Castle is turning 350, but it won't be giving a speech at its own party.
Trends
The surprising rebirth of an ancient wine grape. The unexpected things Africans are doing with faeces and urine. The stoplight prompting families the world over to lift themselves out of poverty. Identifying trends before they happen is one of the most satisfying parts of my job.
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The corruption battle shaping South Africa’s future
OZY.com
History repeats itself as the ANC battles to save itself from corruption. -
How fishers became data scientists to strengthen their...
Hakai Magazine
A South African project that has small-scale fishers doing real science is a boon for jobs, data, and trust. -
Is it a bird? Is it a bee? No, it’s a lizard...
The Guardian
How a chance encounter with a ‘weird plant’ in the Drakensberg mountains led to a startling discovery -
Are fish and chips killing great white sharks?
OZY.com
Is Australia's favourite fast food impacting Cape Town's great whites? -
Konnichiwa, Africa
OZY.com
A wave of Japanese venture capitalists is flooding African tech with cash. -
Once the poor man’s Pinot, this South African red is...
OZY.com
Cinsault went out of favour a while back. But it's blazing a comeback trail. -
Botswana, where elephants are key election stakeholders
OZY.com
Turns out that controlled hunting could actually be good for Botswana and its elephants. -
The stoplight battling to end poverty
OZY.com
Ranking their own situation red, green or amber gives families the agency to pull themselves out of poverty. -
South Africa’s secret for saving species
OZY
Commercial game ranching is bringing species back from the brink.
Gear
I got into gear by accident, but for a few years it was a major part of my life. As the Gear Guy for South Africa's largest travel magazine I had to turn myself into a new kind of expert 12 times a year. These days I still review gear for a couple of major outdoor brands.
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5 Shades of grey
Go Platteland, Winter 2017
Recycling grey water can drastically reduce reliance on the trusty tap. -
10 top tents
Go! September 2016
There are loads of tents on the market, but which one is right for you? -
Now we’re cooking!
Go! August 2016
A round-up of 2016's best braai gadgets. -
Sharp sharp
Go! July 2016
We scoured the country to find some really unique knives, multi-tools and sharpeners. -
Stay warm, stay comfy
Go! June 2016
We round up the best socks and bodywarmers to get you through the winter. -
Planet Selfie
Go! May 2016
What's what in the mystifying world of smartphone accessories. -
Blaze your own trail
The Intrepid Explorer, Issue 13
Trail running kit from top to toe. -
Heads-up
Go! April 2016
Hats, caps, helmets and hoods. If it goes on your head, I wrote about it. -
From South Africa, with love
Go! March 2016
A patriotic mix of South African inventions and handmade local gadgets.