BOOKS & MUSIC

MEET THE AUTHOR

How far will a conservationist go to prove a link between southern Africa and the trade in rhino horn in Vietnam? Ask

Grant Fowlds, who once “smuggled” rhino horn back to South Africa… His book Saving the Last Rhinos, written with Graham Spence, tells of his formative years in the Eastern Cape and the extensive conservation work he’s done in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent.

Before we talk about rhinos, tell us about goats. I love goats! Growing up in the Eastern Cape, goats were my link between humans and animals. Like rhinos, each goat has a unique personality. I learnt a lot about Xhosa culture and traditions from my playmates, including respect for nature and wildlife. Xhosa was the first language I could speak.

What is your favourite Xhosa word or phrase? Apparently, when I was about two years old, I sat in a packed hotel in Colesberg with a knife in one hand and a fork in the other and shouted, “Khawuleza zano ukutya!”It means “hurry up with the food”. I must have been