Michael Ridpath: See No Evil

When writing about businessmen it is always difficult to stay on the right side of the line between fiction and fact and still maintain a feel of authenticity. This is especially true in the world of international newspapers. Although Cornelius van Zyl shares the characteristics of a number of media magnates, he does not represent any one of them. Nor do any other characters in the book represent real people. The companies too are fictitious. The Broederbond was real, as was Muldergate. What the white South African government did with the millions it funnelled through its defence special accounts during the 1980s remains a mystery

I have drawn on the help and advice of a number of people: the South African thriller writer Deon Meyer, Alice Harrison and her family, Isobel Dixon and her family, Jonathan Braack and Darren Green at Ngala game reserve, Troy Reiser of Federal Aviation in Johannesburg, Allan and Stephanie Walker, Mark Aitken, Susan Griggs, Lynn Gluckman, Neil Klein, Adam Buchan, my agent Carole Blake and my editor Beverley Cousins. I would like to thank them all. Where there are mistakes, they are mine.