I read many books, and most end up on the ‘Done Pile’ and forgotten, while a few though go on my ‘must keep and revisit’ list. Africa Will Always Break Your Heart by Gerrie Hugo is on the ‘must keep’ list. I was just an obnoxious English grammar school kid when the apartheid ‘war of public opinion’ in South Africa was raging. Although I was young and outspoken, I most certainly thought that apartheid was just a glamorous way of dressing up the word slavery. I think I was mostly right, but I did not understand all of the factors at the time - and I certainly did not know the facts. Black versus White, was how it was portrayed to me.

Gerrie has written a tour de force in Africa Will Always Break Your Heart. You might even recognize his name. He was featured in the 1997 Emmy winning documentary Gerrie and Louise (although it is best to only mention this when you are outside the range of his fist). A great disservice was heaped on Gerrie through this production. In classic TV tradition, facts were taken out of context and used to present a case that was blatantly false.

I had the opportunity to chat with this very entertaining guy - he had much to say, and all of it important, for that reason I decided to make this a two part interview.

Can you tell our readers a little about who Gerrie Hugo is?

I’ll try to steer away from my standard flippant response which will always be a façade to hide away my grave concerns about the country of my birth and the pitfalls of life.

I was born at home on the 1st of April 1956 in Cape Town. When my mother laid eyes on me she was immediately taken to the hospital. (See I can’t help myself) As the middle son of a military non-commissioned officer I tried without success to get my father’s love and attention and later decided to break all ties with him. His double standards became the main reason for me losing all faith in any form of Deity to date. He is still alive but in my mind I’ve buried him a few years ago for the sake of my sanity.

I have always been a maverick and a fierce protector of what I believed to be the underdog. Mostly these beliefs were misplaced but that did not stop me from expressing my opinions in the most colourful language to all within earshot. I was therefore not well loved by my seniors and have always been much too outspoken to my detriment. The fact that I normally call a spade a shovel did not enhance my chances of ever making it to the General Staff of the Defence Force. Tact is not my forté and I do not suffer fools lightly. (Unfortunately there is too many of them around.)