GG Alcock was born in Msinga, then one of the most poverty-stricken and violent parts of KwaZulu-Natal. His activist parents, Neil and Creina Alcock, raised their two sons in a mud hut with no running water, electricity or modern conveniences and they grew up like young Zulu boys, herding goats and hunting small animals. Zulu reared and bred, the boys learnt the essence of how to survive in a harsh world – valuable skills that have undoubtedly contributed to GG’s success as an entrepreneur.
GG has been at times a shebeen owner, political activist, community worker and African adventurer. Fluent in Zulu and conversant in most South African ethnic languages, he was the founder of Minanawe Marketing, a leading activations business in the kasi sector.
He is a regular speaker on a range of topics – from business to motivational to trend talks on subjects including entrepreneurship, the informal market, diversity and culture, marketing communications to the mass market and the route to market strategies for the informal sector.
GG is the author of three books – Born White Zulu Bred (originally published as Third World Child), KasiNomics and KasiNomic Revolution.