Mellow, rather gentle account of significant figures involved with Tzaneen. (Review by Michael Green)Tzaneen is a picturesque town about 400km north-east of Johannesburg and about 100 km from the Kruger Park. It is the centre of a thriving farming community and its unusual name is apparently derived from a local word, Tsaneng, meaning the place where people gather.
The town was established about a hundred years ago, and it is probably fair to say that it is not known to many South Africans because it is well off the beaten track. But it is by all accounts a beautiful place, and the area has much interesting history, as is clear from this book by David Hilton-Barber.
He is a former journalist and public relations consultant who has lived in retirement at Tzaneen for the past 23 years. He has produced a mellow, rather gentle account of significant figures who have been involved with the Tzaneen area.
They include such diverse characters as the writers Rider Haggard and John Buchan, the conservationist James Stevenson-Hamilton, Queen Modjadji the rain queen, the mining magnate Lionel Phillips, the geologist Hans Merensky, and a host of modern personalities including Tito Mboweni, former governor of the Reserve Bank, who was born in the Tzaneen area and has written an introduction to this book.
The book is illustrated with drawings by Ina van Schalkwyk and digital illustrations by Grant Hilton-Barber.
Footprints: on the trail of those who shaped Tzaneen’s history by David Hilton-Barber is published by Porcupine Press ISBN 978 – 0 – 9869979 – 6 – 9 - Michael Green
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