When most other people are tucked up in their beds at night, private investigator Brad Nathanson is often working, patrolling the streets, doing surveillance or protecting someone.

A job defined by long, unsociable hours and human nature at its worst, it’s nevertheless the career of choice for Durban-born Brad, who celebrates his 46th birthday this year.

Brad spent the first 10 years of his life in Morningside in Durban before moving with his family to then-Rhodesia. From as far back as he can remember he wanted to be one of three things: a policeman, an attorney or a journalist. Knowing what he wanted to do with his life was the easy part – getting his late father to agree to allow him to join the police force was another matter altogether. “He was NOT in favour of this and wanted me to learn a trade instead,” says Brad, who finally got his dad to agree to him writing the SAPS (South African Police Service) exam in 1980 on the family’s return to South Africa.

With a first class pass under his belt, he joined the police and began studying at the Police College in Pretoria. He then moved into the Reaction Unit
(Anti-Terrorist Unit), going on to write the Detective Course exam in 1983.

His first official assignation was walking the beat along Durban’s beachfront during the Christmas holidays that year. Delighted to be involved in crime prevention, he did everything from breaking up fights to arresting vagrants and bag snatchers.

Five years went by during which he honed his detective skills. Finally confident enough to pursue his next goal, he resigned from the force in 1988 to open his own private detective agency. In 1995, as a response to spiraling crime in the Upper Highway area, he started an armed response company (PPS) which he sold three years later so that he could concentrate solely on investigations.

Running the gamut from commercial, domestic and criminal, Brad is involved in all types of work, from cheating spouses to housebreakings, rape and murder. He also does VIP protection, most notably in 2003 for both the Springboks (during the New Zealand / South Africa game in Durban, he made headlines when he frog-marched a spectator off the field after the man physically assaulted the referee) and the Proteas during the World Cup Cricket.

A year prior, as a competitive body builder, he accompanied Oprah Winfrey on a tour of South Africa as her fitness trainer. After spending two weeks in her company, he believes the talk show celebrity is the real thing. “She handed out 25 000 Christmas presents to disadvantaged children throughout lower KwaZulu-Natal, and there wasn’t a day during those two weeks that I didn’t cry,” he says of the “roller coaster emotional” experience. “For many of those children, it was the first time in their lives that they had ever been given a gift so it was a Christmas we will all remember. When I got home, I sat my kids down and told them all about it and how privileged they are.”

Being shot at is part of the job, he says philosophically, making little of incidents which could have cost him his life many times over. One that springs quickly to mind is the attack on him by a screwdriver-wielding criminal whom he had tracked to a warehouse late one night. “It was a case of him or me,” he tells. Another unpleasant incident occurred during an interview with a fraud suspect, who, after admitting his guilt, said he would not be going to jail, pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head.

On matrimonial issues, Brad has high regard for women’s intuition, which he says is 95 percent accurate in his experience. “Some time ago, I was hired by a woman to follow her husband whom she suspected of having an affair. While I didn’t catch them in the act, I found out that they were leaving love letters and notes to meet under a particular stone. I have found that when a woman suspects her partner of infidelity, she’s invariably right.”

Asked for his recipe for success, which Brad puts at 90 percent, he answers: “I offer a personal yet professional service to clients. It’s about integrity, giving value for money and providing the best advice possible. I consider myself successful when I’ve been able to help others bring closure to an event or return stolen goods to the owners.”

While many of Brad’s investigations will always remain confidential, he is able to speak about some of his high profile cases. These include the rape of two sisters after they were hi-jacked outside a ladies’ bar in Westville last year; the gang rape of Jessica Foord in Hillcrest in March this year; and then the murder of Pinetown father Louw Van Der Merwe a couple of months ago. “I don’t rest until the perpetrators have been caught. In Jessica’s case, we apprehended all five suspects who are now sitting in jail awaiting trial. Of the guys involved in the abduction of the sisters, the alleged rapist was shot and killed while resisting arrest. The others are in jail.

Also in jail awaiting trial are Louw van der Merwe’s ex-wife and her boyfriend, who were arrested after an investigation by Brad with the “considerable assistance of the South African police”. Ironically, they are sharing prison cells with siblings Hardus and Nicolette Lotter, who along with Nicolette's boyfriend, Mathew Naidoo, are alleged to have murdered their parents in July this year. Says Brad: “Johan Lotter and his wife Riekie were murdered in their Westville home just days after he approached me for advice on how to deal with death threats he had been receiving. What’s so sad is that he wanted protection for his kids more than himself – the very people who will be tried for the killings.”

Stifling a yawn after a work day that ended at 3am, Brad says it’s not just about the money. “I have this burning desire to see justice prevail. One day, I want to be remembered for making a difference. I love my job and I take every case personally. Without wanting to sound conceited, I am my own role model. I strive every day to better myself because I want to be a hero to my children.”

Asked why he believes people become criminals, Brad says some are just “born bad”. Others descend into crime through a lack of respect for authority and carelessness, when they act without considering the consequences.

“That’s why the security industry is an essential service. Crime fighters, from car guards to policemen, are a rare breed of people who should be applauded for their efforts. We are in the front line, the buffer between Joe public and potential chaos,” he says passionately. “The police are struggling, overworked, underpaid and under-resourced. I am not better than any dedicated policeman. What I am is lucky: lucky to have time on my side and lucky to be able to work on only two or three cases at a time. Any case can be solved with time and dedication.”

Asked what other attributes are required in order to be a good investigator, Brad is quick to respond. “You have to be brave and be able to roll with the punches. I have no illusions about longevity … I have plenty of enemies.”

He continues: “It is so easy for people to adopt the ostrich approach to crime and bury their heads in the sand while finding fault in the security industry. I believe, though, that all South Africans have a duty to make a difference to the crime in this country by uniting and making themselves aware of what goes on around them.”

Straight-talking and open, he admits that his passion for, and commitment to, his work was partly to blame for his divorce, which he obviously regrets. In the next instant though, he’s upbeat again as he talks about his four children, aged from seven to 15 years old. “They’re my life,” he says simply.

When he isn’t working, Brad enjoys spending quality time with his children. He loves being outdoors, enjoys meeting people from all walks of life and includes among his favourite pastimes fishing, riding motorcycles, breeding reptiles, weapons and being tattooed.