Taki's Mag

Hannes Wessels

A 14th generation white African Hannes Wessels was born in 1956 in what was then Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia. After leaving school he served and saw action with the Rhodesian Light Infantry before acquiring a law degree but chose not to practise. He hunted big game professionally in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania in a twenty year career. In 1994 he was severely gored by a wounded buffalo which almost cost him his life. He has published Strange Tales from Africa in America which is a collection of stories about people and places encountered by him in the course of his hunting days. His biography of PK van der Byl (former Rhodesian Defense Minister) includes a revised history of the Rhodesian political imbroglio. His book about the Rhodesian SAS titled A Handful of Hard Men was well received. He has recently published The 15th Club which he co-wrote with friend and former world number one golfer, Nick Price. His second book on the Rhodesian SAS, We Dared to Win is due for release in April. He is married to Mandy and has two daughters; Hope 17 and Jana 14 and lives in Darling in the Cape Province of South Africa. While no longer directly involved in hunting he retains business interests in this sector and remains keenly interested in all matters relating to African wildlife and conservation.