Schoonraad comes clean by Ilse Schoonraad

I am Editor-at-Large of Group Editors, the leading media house in the Southern Cape, and stay in George in the Western Cape.

Often questioning the accepted, unnatural order of things, I can be surprisingly gullible. Just after the turn of the millennium, I had to dye my hair fire-engine-red after losing a bet on my radio show when I refused to believe the match-fixing allegations against the South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronjé. That very night – just 10 days after my 34th birthday on 1 April - Hansie phoned his boss Ali Bacher to confess.

Red headed April fool…

In spite of often getting things wrong, I enjoy talking and writing about life, the universe and everything - especially South African politics - and music is my daily fix. Years ago I performed in several musicals in Gauteng and received encouraging reviews for my cabaret 'A drink with Ilse'. Now, 20 years later, ignoring that I’ve never even ‘arrived’, I’m considering making a comeback. After all, those in the know claim it's all about the journey.
Apart from stage fright, I am told that I also suffer from fear of success, hence my affinity for the following quote by essayist Logan Pearsall Smith: “People say that life is the thing. I prefer reading.”

I secretly love living up to the passionate characteristics of my birth signs, Aries and Fire Horse and remain gullible enough to believe perfect travel companion will still arrive.