Rebecca Duffett heard Angus Buchan's story

Angus: Yes, a huge part. I just want to say to you coming back to the movie Faith like Potatoes, the African gentleman who took that part of my foreman, Simeon Benghu, actually got the Best Supporting Actor Award. He's one of the top actors in South Africa. He's an amazing actor. His name is Hamilton Dlamini. The real Simeon Benghu, you'll be pleased to know is still on my farm. He still lives there with his family and he's now working with my son; basically they grew up together.

In Zulu they give a white man a Zulu name and he actually named my son when he was a baby and now he's working with my son. He's a few years older than me. He's 67 and I'm 63. He's one of the strongest men I have ever met and we all walked this road together, right through bush fires and droughts and floods and heartbreak and personal tragedy and he's still there. I'm there for him and he is my best friend. You're quite right he's an amazing man. He's illiterate, he cannot read or write; I'm semi illiterate so we make a good team. He used to be a fighter and a drinker. Zulu's can be a very aggressive nation and God just changed his heart; he's got just a soft heart. He doesn't drink, he doesn't fight. He's a leader in our community and it's just such a wonderful privilege to have him as a friend.

Rebecca: Did you think that the film would be so emotional and hard hitting, because it tackles a lot of things that you've faced in your life?

Angus: I never for a minute dreamed that it would do what it did. I can take no credit for the film. Frans Cronje the famous cricketer's brother; he made the film and its all South African casting. In South Africa a South African movie goes on the circuit, I'm talking about the secular circuit not the Christian circuit, for one week and a good Hollywood movie maybe two weeks and maybe something like The Passion of Christ maybe three weeks and that's about it. That movie went for nine weeks on the South African circuit. It's sold over a million copies already in America.

When I saw it for the first time at the premier, it really rocked me; it shook me because it brought back a lot of memories. As you know if you've seen the movie we've had quite a rough time, no harder than anyone else and you know, what I appreciated about the movie, was that it portrayed me as I was, a bad tempered guy, short temper, maybe inconsiderate, until I met Jesus and that's the truth. I'm a red blooded normal person; I'm not an angel that's for sure. God is busy working with me and I like to think he's changed me considerably since then.

Rebecca: During the drought you went and planted potatoes against scientist's recommendations. Have you ever felt fear about being so practical with your faith?

Angus: They were talking about the El Nino coming; the rain. There were notices in the newspaper and they spoke on the radio especially to the marginal farmers and small peasant farmers, don't plant anything, because it's not going to rain; only plant your best fields. I just felt the Holy Spirit told me, go for it, so I doubled up. I had no irrigation and you don't plant potatoes in South Africa without irrigation, it's just not done, because if you get a dry spell it can ruin your crop. I planted those potatoes in raw faith and I made a great statement, if you remember from the film, at the rugby stadium, I said, I'm going back to plant up all my fields and I'm going to plant potatoes. I did that and you know God, that's why I love Him so much; I get quite emotional just even talking to you; God always honours faith, not good works or anything like that, but faith, real faith in God.

I said to the people, I'm putting my trust in the Lord and yes I died a thousand deaths. Every time there was a bit of a break in the weather and the potatoes started wilting a bit I would be on my knees again. I tell you I have calluses on my knees. I used to have them on my hands but I've got them on my knees now. Of course God gave us a bumper crop and that silenced all our critics. You've probably heard that faith begets faith; the more faith you ask for, the more faith you get and when you see God honouring that faith you step out. Then we started doing other outrageous things like owning the biggest tent in the world and God filled it with men, then we went outdoors and it just went on and on and on.

Rebecca: What's next for you?

Angus: What I've done is by faith. Excuse the cliché, but by faith we've booked all the World Cup soccer stadiums, there's eight of them. We've booked all eight in faith. We don't have any money. We're looking at a budget of about sixteen million. The Lord has never let us down. We're already talking about it. When I go back next week we are going to have a meeting; there are guys coming from all over South Africa and I've told them I don't want to sell any tickets. The people must come in free because I want the poor folk to come in. I want black and white and coloured and Indian all together. I'm very excited. Next year that's my/our project. We've got eight world cup soccer stadiums that we're going to fill, in the name of Jesus and I would like you to pray for me for that, because we want revival in South Africa.

You can buy Faith Like Potatoes from Cross Rhythms Direct for only £14.49