John Morkel

John Clother Morkel (22 August 1928 – 4 July 2010) was a South African-born Rhodesian international rugby union player. He was born in Cape Town, Union of South Africa and was the captain of the Rhodesia national rugby union team and played as a lock.

After retiring from rugby he worked as a farmer in Rhodesia and later entered Zimbabwean politics. He died in 2010 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa after hip surgery.

Army career After being educated at South African College Schools, Morkel served in the Second World War as a member of the 6th South African Armoured Division after moving from training to be a fighter pilot in the South African Air Force. They would play matches against other Regiments in the British Empire's forces based mostly in Italy but did tour the United Kingdom and finished their tour of duty with 19 wins and 2 losses. Morkel himself, would be attached to the General Staff and would visit Adolf Hitler's Führerbunker days after Hitler's death as a result. The win was the only time the All Blacks have lost to a non-Test rugby playing nation. Morkel would go on to captain Rhodesia thirteen times.

Post rugby Morkel remained in Southern Rhodesia as a farmer. Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence and subsequent UN sanctions affected his work. By 1974, he owned a 15,000-acre farm that housed over 200 workers and members of the local community. Morkel's family would be subject to attack by ZANLA guerrillas, which would necessitate Rhodesian Army soldiers to be located on their land by 1978 to defend it during the Rhodesian Bush War. During the Bush War, he was a reservist for the British South Africa Police. When Rhodesia was reconstituted as Zimbabwe, Morkel moved to Chiredzi and served as their mayor. He remained in Zimbabwe until 2009 when he moved to Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He died on 4 July 2010 in Pietermaritzburg following complications from hip replacement surgery.