Swain’s Southern Africa

Before the Dutch East India Company established a 17th-century victualling station on Table Bay’s pristine shore, the Cape Flats were hunted for hippopotami and other large game by the Khoi-Khoi and the San (Bushmen). With colonisation, the Cape of Good Hope established a lasting tradition of hospitality leading weary explorers and sailors to rename it The Tavern of the Seas. The sight of majestic Table Mountain and the people who live beneath it are as welcoming today as they were all those years ago, the looming crags a striking landmark providing a magnificent backdrop to the vibrant, friendly Mother City. Modern Cape Town, with its extended seafront, underground malls and soaring skyscrapers holds itself dear to its origins. Explore the many fascinating museums and historical buildings reflecting the cultures shaping the city and the province it serves.

Sixty kilometers south of Pretoria is the financial and industrial center of the country – the witwatersrand, with the high-rise city of Johannesburg at its center. Johannesburg can boast one of the most spectacular growth rates of any urban development in the world. Little more than a century ago the area was hardly more than poor, rocky farmland, with a few scattered kraals. Today it is one of South Africa’s largest cities, and is about the third or fourth largest on the African continent.

One of the city’s focal points is the Carlton Centre, a giant hotel, office and shopping complex. It has an observation deck which gives great views of the city and its suburbs. There are many modern, upmarket shopping malls in the suburbs, the most impressive perhaps being Sandton City. A visit to the Zoo and its lake is interesting, as is a trip to the Sanarama Miniature Village, modelled on the famous Madurodam in Holland. South Africans love sport and in Johannesburg is the huge Ellis Park Stadium, where rugby and soccer are played. Jo’burg is a vibrant, bustling city with a wonderful climate.