History buffs shocked at killing of S African
The murder of South African orator and historian David Rattray last week has shocked history buffs in Hong Kong, where his performances filled lecture theatres over the past year.
James Riley, chairman of the Hong Kong branch of the Royal Geographical Society, said many in the city were shocked to learn of Rattray's violent death in South Africa's Kwazulu-Natal province on Friday night.
'When you heard him speak, even if you had no interest in South Africa and the Anglo-Zulu battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift in 1879, you had to listen to him because he was absolutely compelling,' Mr Riley said.
'His enthusiasm and commitment, especially when speaking about the Zulu people and the prospects for his beloved country, was infectious and his talks were always sold out in Hong Kong. He was a performer and you could not help but be moved and completely drawn in when he spoke.'
Mr Riley said Rattray had visited Hong Kong three times and loved the energy and vitality of the city, and that each visit attracted an increased demand for seats.
'He would regularly visit London and New York but to him Hong Kong being in Asia presented such a contrast,' he said.
Rattray last visited in November, when he gave several sold-out lectures. He had told the society's Hong Kong branch that he would return again later this year.
Rattray, a friend of Britain's Prince Charles, was shot dead in an attack by six armed men on Fugitives Drift Lodge, his farm a few kilometres from Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.
A 48-year-old father of three children, Rattray was fluent in Zulu and for the past 10 years took his one-man dramatisation of key battles of the Anglo-Zulu war to audiences around the world.
News agencies reported that two men were detained yesterday for questioning in connection with the killing, and that police were searching for more suspects. A spokesman said police believed it was a botched robbery, although he may have had enemies in the area, Agence France-Presse reported.
