Tony Maxwell's Blog
May 9, 2020
Ndlulamithi
In his latest book, Tracking Evil, author Tony Maxwell makes frequent mention of an enormous bull elephant known to Detective Inspector Andre Meyer's father as Ndlulamithi, a traditional Tsonga word meaning `Taller than the Trees.`
While woven into this work of fiction, Ndlulamithi actually existed and is a proud member of the Magnificent Seven Tuskers in the Kruger Park`s Elephant Hall of Fame at the Letaba Rest Camp.
To be part of this privileged few, these seven bull elephants had to be carrying tusks weighing more than 110lbs each!
Ndlulamithi easily qualified. His handsomely curved tusks, the left one sweeping low and well forward, were significantly more twisted than those of the other large bulls. When he died of natural causes in the Shangoni area of the Kruger Park at the estimated age of 58 years, his left tusk weighed 142lbs and the right 126lbs.
His magnificent tusks are proudly on display in the Elephant Hall of Fame at Letaba Camp.
And how tall was he I hear you ask?
He measured a shade over 11ft at the shoulder by the best estimates. Truly Taller than the Trees!
While woven into this work of fiction, Ndlulamithi actually existed and is a proud member of the Magnificent Seven Tuskers in the Kruger Park`s Elephant Hall of Fame at the Letaba Rest Camp.
To be part of this privileged few, these seven bull elephants had to be carrying tusks weighing more than 110lbs each!
Ndlulamithi easily qualified. His handsomely curved tusks, the left one sweeping low and well forward, were significantly more twisted than those of the other large bulls. When he died of natural causes in the Shangoni area of the Kruger Park at the estimated age of 58 years, his left tusk weighed 142lbs and the right 126lbs.
His magnificent tusks are proudly on display in the Elephant Hall of Fame at Letaba Camp.
And how tall was he I hear you ask?
He measured a shade over 11ft at the shoulder by the best estimates. Truly Taller than the Trees!
May 8, 2020
Tracking Evil
My latest book, Tracking Evil, is in its final stages before going off to my publisher around the end of May.
Like all of my previous novels, Tracking Evil is set in South Africa, a country I am especially familiar with having spent most of my formative years in the areas now known as Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces.
The story behind the writing of Tracking Evil is based on a number of recent visits I made to this fascinating part of South Africa.
The story in a nutshell...
Recuperating from gunshot wounds after a clash in London with a gunman from the Portuguese based Cavalo Marinho drug cartel, South African born Andre Meyer, former soldier and now Scotland Yard detective, returns to South Africa to recuperate from his injuries while re-establishing contact with his sister.
Following up on a childhood dream of seeing the legendary elephant Ndlulamithi “Taller than the Trees” that his father once photographed in the Kruger National Park, Meyer is horrified to discover that the Cavalo Marinho drug cartel is expanding its operations to include all of Southern Africa.
Despite clashing with Annette Fourie, a hard-bitten but attractive Afrikaner police captain, this unlikely pair team up to put an end to the cartel’s plans to smuggle drugs from Mozambique into South Africa through the Kruger Park.
Like all of my previous novels, Tracking Evil is set in South Africa, a country I am especially familiar with having spent most of my formative years in the areas now known as Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces.
The story behind the writing of Tracking Evil is based on a number of recent visits I made to this fascinating part of South Africa.
The story in a nutshell...
Recuperating from gunshot wounds after a clash in London with a gunman from the Portuguese based Cavalo Marinho drug cartel, South African born Andre Meyer, former soldier and now Scotland Yard detective, returns to South Africa to recuperate from his injuries while re-establishing contact with his sister.
Following up on a childhood dream of seeing the legendary elephant Ndlulamithi “Taller than the Trees” that his father once photographed in the Kruger National Park, Meyer is horrified to discover that the Cavalo Marinho drug cartel is expanding its operations to include all of Southern Africa.
Despite clashing with Annette Fourie, a hard-bitten but attractive Afrikaner police captain, this unlikely pair team up to put an end to the cartel’s plans to smuggle drugs from Mozambique into South Africa through the Kruger Park.
