Gideon's poems Dorpstreet Photo by Willem Malherbe | Gideon Visagie Poet and writer |
Gideon was born on 21 December 1959 on the Tzilidzini mission town in
South Africa. He was the first white baby born in the Venda region and
was delivered into the world by his own father: Dr. Herman Visagie.
He grew up on a small farm near Bethlehem where he attended school at Hoogland
Primary School and Bethlehem Voortrekker High. His black friends and
workers on the farm named him as "Mpho" meaning: A gift from God.
Gideon's
uncle was the poet, Wilhelm Knobel. Grandpa Gideon Knobel had a
cousin named Louis Leipoldt who was a writer and poet.
Gideon is a translator, businessman, missionary and social worker.
In 1983 he worked at the United Nations World Head Quarters in New York,
as translator - adaptor. After an inspiring message by a street evangelist in
1984 he became a reborn Christian - drugs were now something of the past.
Following his return to South Africa in the same year he established himself as
writer-poet and businessman and attended several writers' schools, mostly at
Stellenbosch University. In 1987 he attended Bibleschool - Discipleship
Training School at Youth With A Mission in
Worcester and in 1989/ 1990 a leadership training at Campus Crusade for Christ Bible School in
Pretoria.
Gideon is the founder-leader of a poetry and writers-group in Stellenbosch. He
received prizes-awards from The International Library of Poets (USA) and was published in the compilations "Best Poems and Poets of 2003, and
also selected for the "Best Poets and Poems of 2004".
After living in Stellenbosch for many years he moved to the Strand.
Hobbies: Jazz music, movies, photography, reading, writing, stamp collecting, travel
and making new friends.
You can order Gideon's books at this address:
Gideon Visagie
Duckpond Village 81
Altenaweg Strans 7140
Text by Gideon Visagiewww.StellenboschWriters.com © Rosemarie Breuer
Books