Gauteng Post Show Tour – Amazing South Africa

When most people think of South Africa they probably think only of wildlife safaris, Cape Town, Johannesburg and possibly Durban, sport and of perhaps South African wines!

So awareness of Johannesburg is a good start, with Johannesburg is the provincial capital of the smallest of the nine provinces in South Africa, called Gauteng (pronounced Hhhhowteng !), with the province although the smallest, actually the richest in South Africa and Johannesburg the financial and industrial powerhouse of Africa.

The Gauteng Tourism Authority is aiming to increase awareness of the province as a tourism destination in its own right, with as part of Meetings Africa, the Gauteng Tourism Authority hosting a small group of international buyers on a three day post show tour of Gauteng Province.

There are six regions within Gauteng:

** Johannesburg;

** Tshwane;

** Sedibeng;

** Metsweding;

** Ekurhuleni; and

** West Rand.

Across these regions, the major attractions are:

** The Cradle of Humankind & Maropeng (West Rand);

** The Mandela Family Museum in Soweto (Johannesburg);

** The Apartheid Museum (Johannesburg);

** Constitution Hill (Johannesburg);

** Cullinan town & mine  (Metsweding);

** Lesedi Cultural Village (just outside West Rand in North West Province);

Pretoria & Freedom Park (Tshwane);

Tswaing Meteor Crater (Tshwane); and

Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safaris (just outside West Rand in North West Province).

There are of course a number of other attractions across Gauteng including museums, galleries, gardens and game parks, the zoo, spas, casinos and the scenic areas around the Magaliesberg and s number of other attractions also lie in wait (like a big cat!) just outside Gauteng, within 2 to 3 hours drive of Johannesburg, including Sun City [Pictured below], Kruger National Park and the scenic Drakensberg Mountains (called “The Roof of Africa”).

So there are more than enough goodies in and around Gauteng to keep your delegates happy, pre and post conference/meeting/show and the Gauteng Tourism Authority took us to a few, including:

** Lesedi Cultural Village;

** Soweto;

** Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safari;

** Pretoria;

** Freedom Park; and

** African Craft Market at Rosebank in Johannesburg.

Lesedi Cultural Village

Lesedi is called the “Cradle of Living African Culture”, quite appropriate as it is right next to the Cradle of Humankind!  Lesedi has re-created the traditional villages of the Ndebele, Zulu, Basotho, Xhosa and Pedi. These are the five ethnic groups of South Africa.

Visitors take a walk through time, “Ke Bona Lesedi” means “I see the light”.  No, Lesedi is not a religious group, there are no people in suits seeking to convert you!  African culture is seen as the light of the nation and during our introduction to Lesedi we were told that whoever walks amongst the cultures in Lesedi can also see the light.

Unfortunately, it started out a little touristy and as we walked through the various villages with our guide, the people dutifully performed their assigned roles.  However, some were more in to it than others and proceedings started to warm up.  The “Giant Ingoma” or Traditional Dance show at the end of the walk was certainly worth the entry fee, as was the fabulous “Nyama Choma”, the great feast of traditional African dishes from around Africa.

The insights into traditional village life were well presented, with our guide (and us!) interacting with the “locals” in each of the five villages we visited.  Nelson Mandela belongs to the Xhosa people, who lived in the hills and on the coastline of the Eastern Cape.

There were also some surreal moments, for example, prior to our walk we were ushered into the ‘Ndebele Theatre’ where the scene was set for our tour of Lesedi.  A DVD show with modern props in traditional settings (and people walking running and sitting at various points of the show) entertained and informed us all about the African ethnic groups.

In one of the villages was a circle of wooden stumps that designated a meeting place (men only in those days!).  We were invited to sit and when there was a slight hesitation (the old ‘who’s gunna go first syndrome’) The Mole said “C’Mon, pull up a stump!” attracting blank stares from all – yep there was only one Aussie in the group!!

One great comment was “Ahhh! The first conference centre!”  In each village, the dowry for brides varied, with the smallest number of cattle required for a wife was 11, in the Zulu Village.  Our guide said with a smile “This is because the Zulu liked many wives!”  The full experience (tour, dance spectacular and meal) costs $60 AUD and Lesedi also offers themed African accommodation.

Soweto

Not being sure what to expect, as usual with well known places, there are always some interesting surprises.  Soweto, very fortunately, was not a mass of broken down tin sheds, nor did it feel unsafe. [Pictured: a statue of Nelson Mandela in Soweto]

There are B&Bs, car washes and rows of very small and mostly well maintained homes.  Our guide remarked that people in Soweto know that tourism brings many benefits to the township so tourists are much safer in Soweto than in Johannesburg generally!

A growing younger middle class moves out of home and go to the central part of Soweto to rent flats.  However, it is still an obviously very poor area, even though the original shanty town dwellings are now only in isolated pockets of Soweto, and these should all be gone within the next few years.

The highlight of course was visiting the Mandela Family Museum in a part of Soweto called Orlando West.  This is the house where Nelson Mandela lived and to which he returned when he regained his freedom, of solid brick construction on a corner of Vilakazi Street, the same street where Desmond Tutu lived.  Vilakazi Street is famous for being the only street that has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Size-wise, Nelson Mandela’s house is like a cabin you would find in a caravan park, everything is fairly compact and memorabilia is everywhere.

There are some interesting shows on display, including the famous trainers that he bought when he was set free.  Not that far away is the Regina Mundi church which was on the forefront of the Soweto uprising, and the place where the first shots rang out in the uprising.

Bill Harrop’s “Original” Hot Air Balloon Safaris

This was certainly one of the highlights of the tour with Bill Harrops located 45km north of Johannesburg in the scenic Magalies River Valley, which runs through both the Gauteng and North-West provinces.

The  Magaliesbergs form a fantastic backdrop as you float along the valley, with the weather in this area claimed to be the best in the world for ballooning and we certainly had a perfect ballooning experience.  Gently up. gently down and viewing the world pass by silently underneath your feet makes the trip an almost cathartic experience – as well as giving you the opportunity for some great camera shots!

The blast of the burners has been heard in the valley since 1981 and it still sets off the dogs in the farms below – one particularly funny sight was a little jack russell racing around and around a farmhouse at the speed of light, and barking at full.. er… ‘roar’! No worries about sleeping in for his master!

Our pilot, Tracy Robb, was extremely professional, from the moment we took off at Skeerpoort Balloon Field, near Hartbeespoort Dam.  We started out with a view of the Hartbeespoort Dam area, then drifted along the valley westwards for over 20k before touching down to be handed a glass of champagne.

Tracy has been in aviation for nearly 30 years and has never worked in an office.  Old aeroplanes and balloons are the only thing that floats her boat, with Tracy reminding us of one of those super-cool WWII Dam-Buster pilots, everything measured, calculated, fun and safe – always ready for whatever may be thrown at her.

In 1986, Tracy ascended to 30,000 feet to set a female world record, and she is seeking help to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic by balloon, solo or otherwise.  Funding is not very forthcoming in South Africa, which is strange as something like a balloon the shape of a soccer ball crossing the Atlantic and heading down for the opening ceremony of the Soccer World Cup seems like a fabulous opportunity to The Mole! Perhaps a call to FIFA is in order….?

Moving on, after the flight we returned to the cottage adjoining the Balloon Field and had a magnificient breakfast, overlooking a garden, dam and a view to the Magailesberg Mountains.  The brekky was nearly as good as the flight.

Bill Harrops also offers game viewing balloon safaris and individually planned tours, so it came as no surprise to learn that they won ‘Best Tour Operator 2006’ at the South African Tourism Awards that recognise providers of world class visitor experiences.

Tshwane Tour

Tshwane (pronounced “shwarnee”) is in the northern region of Gauteng, where the main centre is Pretoria and it was in the amphitheatre of the Union Buildings, overlooking the city centre, that the inauguration of Nelson Mandela was held in 1994.

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa, it is 48kms from Johannesburg International Airport, and it is where the majority of government departments and institutions can be found.  It is where foreign diplomats are hosted in numerous embassies around town.

Pretoria is all about museums, historic buildings, monuments and art centres – and Jacaranda Trees! Just like certain parts of Aussie cities and towns, there is an annual purple flower frenzy. In fact, Pretoria is often referred to as ‘The Jacaranda City’ as it has over 18,000 of ‘em.  There are two streets which differ from the others – one has 100 white jacarandas, and the other street which runs between the Union Buildings and the government offices [including the President’s house] has two lines of jacarandas on each side of the street! Something for your next trivia night…..

The Union buildings [Pictured: The President’s Wing Union Buildings] overlook it all, as does a big ceremonial gun.  A pity it is no longer in use as it might be able to knock over a bizarre looking transmitting tower across the valley!

There were four forts built on hills around Pretoria (The English and Dutch did not get on too well), but they never fired a shot in anger.  Fort Klapperkop became the first nature reserve and we passed a number of cyclists cycling up this pretty big hill in 30 degree temps – so it must be a pretty good downhill!

The University of Pretoria is the largest in Africa, and has 65,000 resident students with 6,000 students being given the tea-tray on the head every year.

Church Square is the heart of old Pretoria, where the Dutch pioneers or ‘Voortrekkers’ set up their marketplace after expelling the locals.  Pretty soon, with the prosperity from gold, lots of grandiose public buildings were built around the square (which is actually round!)

But the area that had the biggest impact on The Mole was a place called ‘Freedom Park’, which is a long-term development that started in 2002 and is scheduled to finish in 2009.  It has been established as a response to the need identified by the Truth & Reconciliation Commission for symbolic reparation to all those who have died in past struggles.

Though not yet finished, [Pictured: the unfinished wall of names] I believe it will become dare I say iconic in future times for humanity and freedom, as it is a place of healing and reconciliation for all.  Gabriel Dichabe, the Tours Coordinator says that people will have somewhere to come to relieve their personal burden, bury hatreds and remove pain.  They will be able to visit a sanctuary and speak with people to help themselves put the past away, learn from it and move forward at peace.

There will be a number of components to the site, with symbolism everywhere, with Freedom park the symbolic resting place of people who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for humanity and freedom both in South Africa, and around the world.

Freedom Park will be the place where foreign dignitaries are met, historic documents signed, where up to 2,000 people can be seated in an open-air amphitheatre for major national events and celebrations, where a people can enter a sanctuary to contemplate and pray and reflect.

It is definitely not about pointing fingers, it is about learning, reconciling and going forward and there have been and will be more cleansing and healing ceremonies, with high walls of names covering all the past conflicts involving South Africa and also those who made the ultimate sacrifice around the world for freedom and humanity.  The Mole was, as you might guess, was certainly affected by this place, and it is also amazing on another level.

Before the English or Voortrekkers arrived, the Zulus started building their own empire, and many tribes were displaced in the fighting.  The Tshwanea were a very peaceful people, and they stopped in Pretoria where they once again found that peace.  So the area around Freedom Park has been a place of healing and peace at least once before in its history, and looks set to become a real drawcard in the future.

Rosebank

Rosebank is a Westfield type shopping centre in Johannesburg with a variety of shops, however, it also hosts the rooftop African Craft Market on a Sunday.  If you have not managed to pick up any goodies for the friends & rels, make this your last stop for some African gifts.

There are also some good open air cafes to relax and watch life go by….   One final trivia fact – the first koala born in South Africa was born at Pretoria Zoo.

That is the end of the tour and The Mole will certainly have to come back to tick off the other attractions on the list!

A Meetings Africa Report by The Mole