Based upon my new books, Frontier Land explores one of South Africa’s most captivating regions. The Eastern Cape is a land of rich history and fascinating people and as the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, it has been at the frontier of shaping modern-day South Africa. This fully illustrated talk will take the audience on a fascinating journey and tell the stories of the people and places at the heart of this wonderfully diverse province. Tales of regeneration and hope will leave the audience inspired.

Cape Town is arguably one of the most iconic cities in South Africa, if not the world. This fully illustrated talk will introduce the audience to the history of Cape Town (aka the ‘Mother City’) as the birthplace of modern-day South Africa. 

Sport and the game of rugby in particular are intrinsic to the character of South Africa. ‘Rugby & Reconciliation’ tells the amazing story of the 1906 Springboks – the first-ever team to tour outside of the country. Incredibly, this tour took place only 4 years after the South African War and fielded players who had fought against each other in this most bitter of conflicts! Fast-forward to 1995, and who could forget that image of President Nelson Mandela handing Springbok captain Francois Pienaar the World Cup trophy? Clint Eastwood even made a movie about it! And, now, in 2019 we have a new hero in World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi – the first ever black South African to lift the trophy. Based upon years of research, this fully illustrated talk will reveal the incredible story behind the game of rugby in South Africa and how it has been used throughout history to unite a nation. It is an inspiring presentation that contains many important messages about the indomitable spirit of people and how to work together by overcoming differences. Suitable for anyone who enjoys informative and entertaining history, this is a story not to be missed!

In 2010 Shakira sang “This Time for Africa” and the world’s focus was on the African continent, as for the first time in history, a major international mega-event was held in South Africa. This illuminating talk describes the significance of hosting the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup as part of Africa’s global development.   

Sport is big business and an important part of modern society. This fully illustrated talk takes the audience on a fascinating journey through history from the Greek and Roman Empires to the creation of modern sport in the Victorian era to the multi-billion dollar industry that sport has become in today’s world. The talk, based upon my years of teaching at leading international universities, provides the audience with lessons from history in terms of business development, societal change as well as inspirational stories of the human ability to develop and adapt. 

This emotive talk will explain the impact of the slave trade on the creation of empires and the modern world and how it impacted the African continent. Understanding our past is an important part of our journey towards equality and transformation. 

Based upon my current research, this fascinating talk will reveal the project to rewild large parts of the African continent and return it to its natural state. The example of the Eastern Cape shall be explored where, recently, elephants were re-introduced to areas where they had once roamed 200 years ago. It is a truly inspirational story.

1947 was a special year for Southern Africa as King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen) and Princess Margaret embarked on a three-month Tour of South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Swaziland, Basutoland and the Bechuanaland Protectorate. Not only was it their only joint Tour as a family, for many it was viewed the ‘last hurrah’ of the British Empire. This fascinating and fully-illustrated talk will take the audience on a journey of nostalgia and explain the significance of this visit all those years ago. 

Based upon my This Day in History series of books, this entertaining talk will cover 7 individual stories or events that occurred during this week in history. Each day, corresponding with that particular week, will have a carefully selected story from history that will enthral the audience.

For far too long South Africa has been misrepresented as a divided country. This is a groundbreaking presentation that highlights the positives about our shared cultures and histories. I will be joined on stage by a Xhosa-Speaking artist and we will encourage positive discussion about our road at the ‘Rainbow Nation’ towards equality and transformation.

On the back of the world’s ‘Great War’, the Spanish Flu pandemic that began in 1918, infected over a quarter of the world’s population with a death-toll as high as 100 million. It remains the planet’s worst natural disaster. This impactful talk will hold the attention of the audience as it brings to life the tragedy of those times while drawing valuable parallels with our current challenges involving COVID. This inspirational and thought-provoking talk has been delivered to audiences around the globe and is not to be missed!