Pk Van Der Byl: African Statesman
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.18 (985 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1920143491 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 332 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-05-07 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
This account is likely to give offense to some because it portrays him as bluntly as he was in real life. The human tragedy that has followed the removal from power of Ian Smith and his Rhodesian Front party will almost certainly force the reader to deal with some uncomfortable conclusions, of value to anyone sincere about grappling with the volatile and deeply troubling challenges that confront all Africans today. Hannes Wessels was born in 1956 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) but grew up in Umtali on the Mozambican border. He has published Strange Tales from Africa in the USA, a collection of anecdotes from his hunting days. He saw action in the Rhodesian bush war before acquiring a law degree which he
. In 1994 he was severely gored by a wounded buffalo which almost cost him his life. He has published Strange Tales from Africa in the USA, a collection of anecdotes from his hunting days. He has hunted big game in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania in a 20-year career. HANNES WESSELS was born in 1956 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) but grew up in Umtali on the Mozambican border. While no longer directly involved in hunting, he is part-owner of a lodge and
"It is cartainly a significant new contribution to the documentation of Rhodesian history o thank you so much for publishing it." -- David Mitchie PhD "Wessels researched his subject well and the book is a good synthesis of interviews with PK's brother William, his widow Princess Charlotte of Lichtenstein, his friend Lin Mehmel, former Selous Scouts officer commanding Ron Reid Daly, his secretary Marge Bassett and Ian Smith himself" -- Defence Web August 2010-09-22
margot said A Wit, a Statesman, a 'Lightweight'. I put 'Lightweight' in those inverted commas because that is how Pieter van der Byl liked to present himself. Why he did this is not too hard to guess: he wanted to put people at ease and so adopted the pose of many a CEO and aristocrat, and let himself be disarmingly silly. When he was at Cambridge, his drawling manner and bespoke tailoring got him the sobriquet "The Piccadilly Dutchman," and this was perfectly fine with him, so long as he wasn't alienating people. He figured out early on that this would always be the big haza. Pamwechete said The highlight of some very important years for Southern Africa. A balanced, insightful, honest and amusing insight into the life and times of the unique PK van der Byl. As ever, history and personalities are more complex and intriguing than the media portrays. Africans, white and black have benefited from the selfless dedication of people like PK van der Byl, the world needs more of their non-PC brass neck. I recommend reading the book.. nemo said Historical Rhodesia. Interesting potted history of the origins of South Africa and Rhodesia. The detailed information from 196Historical Rhodesia Interesting potted history of the origins of South Africa and Rhodesia. The detailed information from 1963 showed how out of touch was the RF with the world forces. Majority rule became a fashion statement and had to apply to Rhodesia. The RF did a wonderful job of holding out so long but they could not imagine that reason and logic would be like water of a duck's back. Mugabe fooled the world and was handed Rhodesia on a platter. All the while I read this book I was thinking "If only". showed how out of touch was the RF with the world forces. Majority rule became a fashion statement and had to apply to Rhodesia. The RF did a wonderful job of holding out so long but they could not imagine that reason and logic would be like water of a duck's back. Mugabe fooled the world and was handed Rhodesia on a platter. All the while I read this book I was thinking "If only"