What are the top destinations to which you’d like to travel?
China, the Grand Canyon/Colorado River, and Eastern Europe sound good.
Which favourite places have you already visited?
Dordogne in France, the Italian Riviera, Maasai Mara, and the Groot and Klein Karoo.
What is the weirdest food or drink you have ever tried?
Water rat in French Guiana – delicious!
Are you an adrenalin junkie? Can you share any experiences of shark-cage diving, bungee jumping, parachuting, abseiling or the like? If you have yet to try any of these, what would appeal to you, and what would not?
Nope, but I enjoy parasailing.
If you consider your upbringing, were/are you a bush baby or a city slicker?
A bit of both.
Braai or sushi?
Sushi as a starter, then braai.
What is the most memorable experience you have had with wildlife?
Being charged by a hippo in the Pongola River, northern Zululand, on a nature film shoot.
If you were stuck on a desert island, would you know how to make a fire without matches, and how to catch dinner?
I reckon I could…
What is your tried-and-tested signature dish you serve your friends?
Whatever grabs my fancy and tests their sense of humour…
If it were up to you, what should be done to the people running the rhino horn trade?
This is a very emotive question and it is never contextualised.
These people are syndicates – drugs, guns, stolen cars, human trafficking – and rhino horn is just an add-on for them.
It is this global problem of crime syndicates that we have to address.
It is impossible to contain rhino poaching by killing or arresting poachers; it is the syndicates we have to go after.
Beer or wine?
Beer (brutally cold).
Camping or luxury lodge?
Camping.
Do you have a particular song you have written which stands out above the rest?
Scatterlings of Africa. The original Juluka version got on to the top 40 chart in the United Kingdom in 1983; when Savuka re-recorded it in 1986, it went to number 1 in France, Switzerland and Belgium.
The song launched both bands internationally and it has a very special place in my heart.
You are currently working on a book and a musical – can you tell us a little about these exciting new ventures?
It’s an autobiography and a musical loosely based on my life story.
What are your pet hates/dislikes in people?
I’m pretty accepting of all people. I realise that everyone has bad days and I get pleasure when someone lashes out at some source of irritation.
It’s like a reminder that we are alive and present, and you have to take account of us because we are in the world and full of hope and passion.
We all are trying to tell our story to anyone who will listen.
I myself am known for a certain degree of grumpiness in this regard.
My pet hate is people who, when approaching a green traffic light, apply brakes in case it changes to red; it’s such a bummer when the universe signals us to go forward, but instead we pull back in fear.
As a role model yourself, whom did you see as your inspiration while growing up?
The many Zulu friends who were mentors; academics such as David Webster, Professor David Hammond-Tooke, Professor Charles van Onselen and many others who shaped my wobbly brain.
I read a lot of poetry, novels and history and listened to many singer-songwriters who also shaped my palate: from Jethro Tull to Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, The Police, Peter Gabriel, etc.
Many traditional Zulu maskandi street musicians also had a deep influence on my development.
Do you still get a thrill out of touring and doing live concerts?
I love live performances, but I can’t stand the travelling anymore. It’s a trade-off.
* This was featured in The Intrepid Explorer magazine, SA’s outdoor adventure magazine. For more info go to www.intrepidexplorer.co.za.