I emigrated to South Africa in 1969, and it was a great country back then. Everything worked and everybody knew what they could do and what they could not. Coming from England, the weather was the first thing you notice, you could organise to have a braai vleis (BBQ) weeks in advance because you knew the weather would be perfect.

The scenery is magnificent; It is very stunning and compares with the best I have seen anywhere in the world.

The wildlife, well, they almost have everything, definitely the big five, and you can visit several game parks. Some are like the Kruger Park, where they have a number of camps that you can book into for the night and then move on to the next camp and spend another night. You must get to the camp by a certain time as you cannot be in the park after dark. Because it is far too dangerous. You must book a long time in advance because they are very popular.

You also get parks you go to for the day like, Addo Elephant Park, just outside of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. You get to see a lot of elephants during the day and it makes you wonder how anybody can kill them just for their tusks, which have completely no medical benefits at all. It is a total scam, just the same as rhino horns.

They kill these animals with a rifle and if they do not kill them with that single shot and only bring the injured animal to the ground. They do not have the decency of firing a second shot to the brain to kill the animal. They consider that is a waste of a bullet; they take an axe and chop the animal’s backbone so it is incapable of moving. They then cut off the tusks or horns, sometimes with a chainsaw, and they leave the animals to die in agony with the possibility of big cats having a meal while the elephant or rhinos are still alive. They still involve people who do not hunt themselves but make a lot of money from this illegal trade in the slaughter of these magnificent animals. They come from around the world. Everybody that has anything to do with this barbaric act needs to be put down. As I have just said, my opinion. However, I am sure I am not alone in my thinking.

If I am lucky enough to win the lottery, that is what I would use my money for, protecting these animals and stopping the trade, whatever it takes.

Our lasting legacy will be one of enormous failure if we allow 49 million years of evolution to disappear.

Right now, one kilogramme of Rhino horn is more valuable than gold, heroin, cocaine or diamonds

There are some great vineyards in South Africa and one that is well worth a visit is the La Petite Ferme. The Franschhoek Valley is one of the most breathtaking regions of the Cape, and there are few estates better positioned to take advantage of this than La Petite Ferme. The restaurant and tasting room offer panoramic views across the valley floor below, but it’s the atmosphere on the lawns outside that makes this a magical Cape estate.

I loved the country so much that I stood in front of the flag and swore allegiance to South Africa. Back then, everybody was happy and life was very good. I spent just over seventeen years living, working and enjoying life in South Africa. I lived in Port Elizabeth, East London, Bedford and Johannesburg during my time there. I travelled extensively and always wanted to live in the Provence of Natal, as it was my favourite. I never lived there, however, we had many wonderful holidays in the Provence of Natal.

Back in the seventies and early eighties, it was a great country to live in. Then things took a turn for the worse. Riots and protests started and after our home was burnt to the ground, we decided it was not a country to bring up small children, so we moved to England.

We stayed for five years but had to leave due to my South African wife being blamed for apartheid. So, we moved to France.

I have only been back to South Africa once since we left in 1985 and I did not recognise most places. My wife used to return every two or three years to visit her family. She finds it very frightening and does not wish to go back again.

From a beautiful country, it has turned into a very dangerous one, not a country I would ever return to. My advice to anybody going on holiday, be extremely careful where you go. Do not go to places alone and be very alert after dark.

It is such a shame that this once beautiful, economically sound country with happy people in all corners of this magnificent land has declined to the state it is in today.