By arriving at Johannesburg Airport (O.R. Tambo) at night I was treated to a show of glittering, shimmering lights beneath our aircraft. The city below appeared to be natural platinum, diamonds and gold. After all, this city is known as the "city of gold." The sight was simply breathtaking.

Upon my arrival at the 5-star Michelangelo Hotel, the doorman, a tall African brother in top hat and tails, greeted me with a smile and the profound statement of, “Welcome home, my sister”. The Michelangelo is the crème de la crème. Saying it’s a super deluxe property may be an understatement. The hotel has direct access to the Sandton City Mall adjacent to Nelson Mandela Square. Sandton City Mall has everything any shopper could want - even several excellent restaurants in the square. One of my favorites is Lekgotla Restaurant, which means "meeting place." The staff, in traditional attire, always greets patrons with a warm reception which includes some awesome "drumming" . . . and dinner is always fit for an African King & Queen and served in true African style.

On my first trip to South Africa, I couldn’t wait to get to Soweto and Robben Island since my passion for South Africa began when I started following in Mr. Mandela's footsteps way back when I was a senior in high school in Los Angeles. I cut school one day to go to a "Free Nelson Mandela" rally in Watts at Will Rogers Park. Mr. Mandela had only been incarcerated as a political prisoner for 3 years at the time.

The images of the Watts riots were still fresh in my mind as I began to take an interest in the struggle. There was no time for senior activities since I had to get busy with my term paper, which was on the Apartheid System in South Africa. Unfortunately, it took me 40 years to come full circle!


Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship) –

In past years the media has focused on the negative aspects, but in reality there are several positives. For one, the people are very friendly. Yes, the shanties look deplorable, but on the inside they are clean - as cleanliness is a matter of family pride. Some families have been living in the same areas for over 30 years but slowly, residents are being relocated to more suitable housing and currently there is new construction underway for a multitude of 4-unit apartment dwellings.

As I made my way through the township I passed the Regina Mundi Catholic Church (Queen of the World). The church was built in 1964 and became a meeting place, a safe haven for those fighting against apartheid. When the police realized the students stood ready with buckets of water to diffuse the canisters of tear gas, they started using live ammunition. Fortunately, no one was killed but the bullet holes in the ceiling are still evident to this day.

As my journey continued, I had lunch at the delightful Nambitha's which is located on the famous Villagazi Street. As iconic as "Wandies" may be; Nambitha's is it for me. This happens to be the same street where two Nobel Peace Prize winners once lived: Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Former President, Nelson Mandela. Their houses are a mere 100 yards apart and Mr. Mandela's home is now a museum.

One experience that cannot be missed is the Lesedi Cultural Village. It’s a 40-minute drive from Johannesburg (Joburg). Normally people arrive for a morning or evening show and do not stay overnight. But to stay overnight in a “hut” is truly a one-of-a-kind experience - one I did not want to miss. My hut had every convenience, comfortable bed, hot water, good pressure, thick fluffy towels and even satellite tv.

Before leaving Joburg a few friends and I were scheduled for a private diamond factory tour. If you saw the HBO Documentary, "Blacks Without Borders" you may remember Ms Brenda Joyce, a gemologist from NY who was invited by Nelson Mandela to come to South Africa 13 years ago.
She personally invited me to the only black owned "mine to finger" diamond factory. Under tight security I learned the true and fascinating story of diamonds. Imagine all these beautiful black workers in their lab jackets cutting and polishing diamonds.

She and I met for dinner one evening at the 7-level restaurant "Moyo", located in the trendy, Melrose Arch area. I had the pleasure of meeting her friend, an ex-pat from Chicago who has now opened her 2nd lovely guest house - Lemurian. One located in the exclusive area of Houghton and the newest in Atholl, not far from Sandton.

A couple of my South African friends met up with me after dinner at one of the hot spots in Rosebank, called "Katzy's". When that closed the younger folks headed off to the after hours spot, "Moloko", owned by one of their friends. There was also a 24 hr spot after the after hours, called the "Cat's Pyjamas" where the party-people, not ready to call it a night, stop by for good food and libations.

Next stop will be the very beautiful & romantic Cape Town

Posted in: Culture, Dining, Nightlife, Places of Worship, Points of Interest
Features: African Cuisine, Bars/Clubs/Pubs, Historical, Hotels & Lodging, Local Perspective, Lunch Spot