Frickie Van Hardenburg is a minor character in The Ballad of Gay Tony.
History[]
Background[]
Frickie was reported to be a controversial South African who was accused of financing conflicts and their accompanying humanitarian crimes. He had also been linked to weapons smuggling, gem dealing, the slave trade, and narco-trafficking; all allegations which he strongly denied.
According to Weazel News, by 2008, Frickie finally received a visa to enter the United States, this caused a renunciation from liberal politicians who demanded that Frickie to be put on trial for his war crimes. However, immigration authorities turned a blind eye to these accusations, citing that Mr. Van Hardenburg took several senators on a safari last year and that he is a "very nice guy once you get to know him".
Events of The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Frickie was in possession of a Buzzard Attack Chopper and commands a very large group of bodyguards and mercenaries, who protect his helicopter and yacht.
Luis Fernando Lopez is ordered by Yusuf Amir to steal Frickie's Buzzard. He makes his way to Frickie's yacht using Yusuf's speed-boat. On the yacht, Frickie delivers a short speech on his helicopter, giving Luis the time to steal the Buzzard unnoticed.
Taking the Buzzard, Luis is ordered by Yusuf to destroy the yacht. Luis uses the helicopter to destroy the yacht. The yacht is then blown up, killing Frickie and most of his men. His surviving guards attempt to escape the sinking boat, but Luis chases them down.
Character[]
Appearance[]
Frickie's character model is an unused Kenny Petrovic character model from the GTA IV files. He shares some of his dialogue, such as "I am Kenny Petrovic!", although they can't be triggered during the mission.
Influence[]
- Frickie Van Hardenburg is based on multiple people:
- He is loosely based on Arjen Rudd, the primary antagonist in the film Lethal Weapon 2; in the film, Rudd uses his diplomatic immunity as ambassador for South Africa to run his drug/weapons smuggling operation, which in turn sends profits and counterfeit bills to apartheid South Africa.
- He also shares some similarities to South African colonel Eeben Barlow, founder of the private military company called Executive Outcomes who participated in African conflicts during the 1990s.
- His controversial activities, arms smuggling, and links to government figures is similar to Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, whose fronts allegedly transported weapons to varying clientele (which included Charles Taylor's Liberian government, both the Taliban and Northern Alliance, and the US Military in Iraq).
Mission Appearances[]
The Ballad of Gay Tony[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Frickie Van Hardenburg owns a Super Drop Diamond like Yusuf Amir, and later Luis Lopez. The three of them are the only known owners of a Super Drop Diamond.
- Frickie can be briefly seen giving a speech about the Buzzard to his guests in the lounge room, but if the player enters the lounge room, he won't be there.
- Frikkie is a name in the Afrikaans language, a language in South Africa and it is not spelled with a "c". Additionally, Van Hardenburg is not an Afrikaans surname but rather a Dutch surname.