How come?

In 2000 Mozambique lay flat on its ass after years of civil war. Even close to our plantation there was evidence of recent heavy fighting between rebel forces and government soldiers. Some bodies and skeletons were still laying about when we arrived there. The rebels controlled the whole countryside. It was a nightmare to get all the material we needed for the company delivered to site. All goods had to travel over land the long way around from South Africa via Zimbabwe into Mozambique. Everything that wasn’t nailed down was stolen.

How did you eventually get it right to get goods delivered?

One of the things I did was to join the rebels. That way my trucks had free passage.

Did you fight with them?

In the beginning it was a purely business decision to join them, but eventually I did get involved, yes. During the day I was a businessman, at night a rebel. Even though there was a cease fire in place, there was then no mention of a peace accord. There was sporadic heavy fighting.

What did your wife in South Africa think of the adventures you actively sought?

I do not believe that she knew what I was getting up to. I saw her every two months when I traveled between Mozambique and South Africa. In the beginning the great distance was no problem for us, but I think it contributed to an estrangement.

You ended up working for the Americans. How did that happen?

Not long after the 9/11 attacks I was in a bar in a city in Mozambique. Someone entered and announced that a Chinese boat had arrived with 700 tons of weapons on board. Let’s go have a look at that I figured. Now that I think back on it I realize that this impulsive reaction ruined my life. I had an entry permit for the harbor because we had two warehouses there. When I got there I could observe how the weapons were loaded from the ship onto trains. Presumably these weapons were destined for Congo. First I notified the British Consulate, but they showed no interest, so then I notified the Americans.

And they were interested?

Absolutely. My contact, presumably someone from the Navy Intelligence service even told me to let the transport go on its way unmolested. That was the first spy activity. The Americans did ask me from then on to keep my eyes open in and around the harbor. I ended up giving them some useful tips on weapons trafficking.

Were you not afraid?

Not yet at that stage. I didn’t consider the risks. I thought I was invincible. Danger was as a drug, because sometimes it was quite exciting. Once I was woken at 5am by an American voice on the phone who told me to ‘Get the fuck out’. Turns out some agents were looking for me. I spent three days on the run then.

Did you make good money out of this spy business?

I never got a cent for it. I did it for kicks.

Is it because of this business that you ended up in the states?

Yes. In January 2002 I flew Washington for the first time. I was to meet with my contact.

How did you spend your time in jail?

Because I was educated I got accepted as a teacher in jail. (Shows his teaching certificate from the jail). I taught English and Mathematics to inmates. There were guys there from the Mexican Mafia, drug lords, and murderers.

What sentence did you risk?

Twenty five years. The prosecutor had it in for me. If I would plead guilty on one charge, I would have escaped with 2, 5 years. But I refused, because I was innocent. Eventually they sentenced me to sixteen years.

Sixteen years? How come you are free?

I took care of that myself. In the jail library I looked in most of the law books that were available, whereby I found a ‘loophole’ in the law. The judge did give me sixteen years, but most of it suspended. Anna was furious. The judge looked at her hate filled eyes and told me: ‘Son, it is better that there lies an ocean between the both of you soon’.

The Americans wanted to get rid of you?

I was transferred to an Immigration detention center where I had to await my deportation in October 2005. Two US Marshals put me on a plane to Zaventem (that’s how Brussels Airport is called) and that was it.

Are you not happy that you could leave that country behind?

Yes and no. I regret that I had to leave my girlfriend Lee behind. (Apparently their editor couldn’t get around the fact that I had another marriage after Anna.)

I met Lee after my divorce from Anna. She did help me a lot while I was in jail. Because I am banned for life from entering the United States, I can no longer be with her. In November she visited me for a few weeks in Belgium, but since March I haven’t heard from her. It’s over.

Can you get used to living in Belgium?

(Shakes his head) No, I need to leave here as soon as possible. I do not want to waste away here.

What is it that you don’t like and want to leave?

There are no real men here. (Laughs tauntingly). I do not have a need to get in touch with my feminine self.

Where do you want to go?

To a country that lies on its ass, for all I care where bombs explode around me. I never felt homesick for a stable life in Belgium. Homesick for Africa, that I am.