I was born in South Africa in Pietermaritzburg, Natal and grew up in Durban on the coast the route of the renowned Comrades marathon.  I left apartheid South Africa in 1975 to complete my schooling in London and obtained a BA Joint Honours in English and Italian in 1984.  Members of my family have always been involved in the politics of the country; some were incarcerated in Robben Island with Mandela and other prominent ANC activists, others were killed in the ANC military camps in Mozambique and Angola and many more were involved in challenging the ideas of apartheid as playwrights, educationalists and legal advisors. 

In the 80’s and 90’s I campaigned in Britain to raise awareness of the issues facing South Africa.  My mother stood and won the seat for the Midrand region of Johannesburg in the first free elections as an independent ANC candidate and was mayor of Midrand until it was incorporated into the larger Johannesburg constituency.  Both my sisters are proudly South African and work to improve prospects for the majority of South Africans and to promote a positive image for the country abroad.  I visit the country every year and continue to follow the changes and challenges facing the new democratic government and the people who vote for them.

I am a freelance writer based in Hackney, a regular contributor to Culture Wars and I blog about the workplace during recession at Working Matters