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Adventures in Africa
South Africa has come a long way since apartheid. Belinda Weber visited as it prepares to host the football World Cup in 2010, and found a diverse and beautiful country
I must admit, I had reservations about visiting South Africa. I grew up when apartheid was in place and remembered news footage of violent protests, shootings and riots. Arriving at Johannesburg airport, I couldn't have been more surprised. True, sniffer dogs were patrolling the arrivals area, but they were searching out contraband fruit and other foods that people had snaffled from their airline meals and were hoping to eat later. Heathrow is a far more intimidating airport, with the increased security and armed police everywhere.
Markets and nightlife
Johannesburg is a lively city, with huge skyscrapers and enormous hotels. There are plenty of markets and shops to satisfy any bargain-hunting urges you may have. Street hawkers are wise to the current exchange rates, and will haggle hard to get a good price.
They're also good at guilt-tripping the tourists with sad stories, and all compete fiercely for your custom. To unsuspecting Westerners, this can feel threatening, but many of the handicrafts are beautifully made and well worth the effort of haggling. Head to the Newtown Cultural Precinct in the evening. The Market Theatre, which nurtured a protest theatre throughout the apartheid years, continues to put on entertaining performances and the complex surrounding it has restaurants serving delicious North African specialities.
Must-see museums
The Apartheid Museum at the corner of Northern Parkway and Gold Reef Road is well worth a visit. The outer courtyard is dominated by seven pillars which display the fundamental values of South Africa's first fully democratic parliament: democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom, and these sentiments do echo around the city.
Entry tickets to the museum are colour coded and allocated randomly, but allow access by different doors. This simple segregation is hugely efficient and gives an insight into how the apartheid system operated. The museum is dedicated to South Africa's turbulent 20th century history and provides a fascinating glimpse into how life was then. It is unflinching in its treatment of what happened in the townships and is an extremely moving museum.
Try to also visit the Hector Pieterson Museum, named after the 12-year-old schoolboy who was one of many children shot by police while protesting against the use of Afrikaans as the official language in township schools, and the Nelson Mandela Museum, former home to the South African president and full of his personal artefacts.
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