Third World Child is about living in South Africa in the time of apartheid and also living here today – about being truly African even as a white person.  It is about the adventures, the cultural challenges and the future possibilities of South Africa.

The author, GG Alcock, believes that we have moved on from hand wringing apartheid stories and Third World Child avoids the groupie style or historical style of the books written about apartheid.  And yet, at the same time, this book is about the legacy of apartheid for a white person living in a black world.

The story is about the huge diversity of this country from savage Zulu warriors to sophisticated urban black empowerment recipients and a fair bit in between.  It is about a unique life thrust upon GG as the child of extraordinary parents, Creina and Neil Alcock, who were unique in their time.  Both his mother, a writer and academic, and his father, a well-known anti-apartheid activist, gave up their lives of wealth to live in a mud hut in the middle of Zululand.

The Africa GG wants to share is about modern Zulu warriors making a life in a strange new world.  It’s his journey with these people – his mentors, friends and foes – a voyage of a tribal society learning to become modern.

We live not in a black or white world but a world of contrast and diversity, one which GG wants South Africans, and a world audience to see, for what it is – without descending into racial and historical clichés.  Through this story people will see the humour and nobility of the third world society he has lived with.

Says GG: ‘I grew up in a unique, very poor Zulu community. I have travelled my life’s journey with this community – into the migrant worker hostels and townships of Gauteng, during and after apartheid, and later becoming a successful businessman, still working in this environment, creating crazy projects like the Soweto Beach Party.’

A fast paced African adventure with ample death and violence but also humour, heart-ache and sadness.

About the author:

GG, and his brother Khonya, are the sons of Neil Alcock (who was murdered when GG was 14) and Creina Alcock, who still lives in the Msinga Valley, continuing GG’s father’s work among the Zulu people.

GG and his brother were home-schooled, under an acacia tree, by their mother until the beginning of standard six when the Department of Education forced them to go to “real school”.  He completed his schooling at a local government boarding school in Greytown, hating every minute of it.  Following school he completed his two years military service, where he challenged township duty and faced the inevitable consequences.

After army GG worked for a number of anti-apartheid activist organisations on legal challenges to the Land Act (where black people were dispossessed of their land). During this time he grew a fairly high political profile in the media and government circles of KwaZulu-Natal.

With the changes brought about by the unbanning of the ANC GG moved into business and is currently the CEO of Minanawe Marketing (a very successful agency focussed on marketing to the mass market, rooted in consumer understanding).

GG is 46, very happily married, and has two very beautiful blonde daughters who he will be expecting lots of lobola for one of these days, and lives in Joburg.  He loves Africa and being African, and his staff are convinced that he never works but spends as much time as possible on one or other adventure –motorcycling across deserts and mountains, mountain biking, paragliding or kayaking. ‘It’s not true,’ says GG, ‘I don’t spend enough time doing this!’  Having realised from an early age that there is no glamour in poverty GG is trying very hard to grow his collection of adventure toys.

Third World Child is published by Tracey MacDonald Publishers