Mike Hoare, one of Africa's best-known mercenaries who fought in the Democratic Republic of Congo and led a failed coup in the Seychelles, has died aged 100, the family said on Monday. Nicknamed "Mad Mike", Hoare died on Sunday in South Africa where he had retired.

Born 1919 in India to Irish parents, Hoare was educated in England where he qualified as a chartered accountant.

He attended a small-arms course at the London Irish Rifles and an officer training course in the British army during WWII and went on to serve in India and in Burma.

The fervent anti-communist then emigrated to South Africa in 1948. "The well known adventurer and soldier of fortune, Lt Col 'Mad Mike' Hoare, died in his sleep and with dignity aged 100 years at a care facility in Durban on 2 February 2020," the family said in a statement.