Cape Town: Blend of splendour, fine dining and rich history

South Africa is a land of stark contrasts. A mosaic of many races, cultures and peoples, it carries a rich heritage that packs powerful names like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, complete with a socio-political heritage that is unmatched anywhere in the world.

The “Rainbow Nation” is a functional democracy whose President Jacob Zuma is under fire for using State money to controversially improve his rural home in Nkandla — a magnificent home by all standards — that carries an African theme with the pride of a peacock.

The upgrade cost a staggering Sh2 billion and the controversy follows president Zuma everywhere, including during a particularly chaotic parliamentary session recently, with scenes that echoed the bedlam in Kenya’s National Assembly last December during the passing of the contentious Security Bill.

The President of Africa’s economic powerhouse even had to sit through a tongue-lashing by an MP, who accused him of stifling democracy by jamming the communication networks on a day that he was under fire in parliament from opposition legislators over the money spent to upgrade his home.

Somehow the issue refuses to go away, even though President Zuma says he never asked for it and it was done purely on security grounds.

The mayhem in the House that captured the world’s attention was in the otherwise scenic city of Cape Town, etched with so much heritage for the beautiful country that was until 20 years ago in the grip of racist apartheid systems, whose basis was the separation of the privileged whites from the subjugated blacks.

When I landed in Cape Town the other day, I was awestruck by its beauty — from the majestic Table Mountain, billed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, to the shoreline where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean at the Cape of Good Hope. Travelling across leaves indelible memories.

VASCO DA GAMA

It felt like turning the clock as I ascended from the Cape of Good Hope to the light tower that Vasco Da Gama built four centuries ago when he came scouting for trade routes out of Europe to India.

But the contrasts of the nation that South Africa has become more evident to me while riding on the world-class superhighway from Cape Town International Airport into the city centre.

Lined up on either side for kilometres on end are the city’s townships populated by black South Africans. Here lies one of the biggest reminders of a dark apartheid past that South Africa is still walking away from, one day at a time.

It makes you want to find out how such opulence and abject poverty live side by side.

According to www.sahistory.org.za in 1983, Dr Piet Koornhof, the Minister of Cooperation and Development announced that all “legal” residents of the Cape Peninsula living in squatter camps or existing townships would be housed in a newly proposed 3220-hectare site to be called Khayelitsha, which is Xhosa for “New Home”.

Khayelitsha Township was established in the same year to accommodate informal settlement dwellers on the Cape Flats, the majority coming from Old Crossroads to escape the violence by the “Witdoeke” (a notorious vigilante group) under the control of Johnson Ngxobongwana. The settlement began with a tented town.

The website says that Khayelitsha was built under the principle of racial segregation executed by the government. Due to the immense influx of people, it is the second biggest black township in South Africa after Soweto in Johannesburg. The government envisaged Khayelitsha as a relocation point to accommodate all “legal” residents of the Cape Peninsula, whether they were in informal settlements or in existing townships, in one new purposely built and easily controlled township. The government classified people as legal if they had already lived in the area for 10 years.

To date, rows upon rows of iron sheet shacks — some without access to water or electricity — are seen from the highway. President Zuma’s government has a project to upgrade the slums in phases and there is evidence on one side that the work has begun.

My breath was taken away by the craggy skyline of the mountains, whose slopes drop sharply to the sea level below where the waves from the Indian Ocean to the east or the Atlantic Ocean to the west lap the rocky shores.

TRADE ROUTE

In the Western Cape is the all famous Cape of Good Hope, the point where European explores began their advance into the interior after discovering a trade route around Africa to India in the 17th century.

Once called the Cape of Storms, the tip has charming beauty, from the bush land that is inhabited by a sparse population of wildlife like antelopes and zebras to the captivating beauty of the rocks by the shore. On another side, the rushing ocean waters whose race is brought to a halt by a sandy beach. I stood for indescribable moments watching these marvels of nature.

Hiking to the old light house at Cape Point from where one can view the Indian Ocean eastwards or the Atlantic westwards as far as the eye can see is another must-see for anyone visiting the Cape of Good Hope.

Travel expert Pippa De Bryun captures the alluring charm; “Then there’s the pristine white beaches lapped by – it must be said – a chilly Atlantic, their curves defined by giant granite boulders to bake on, and burbling mountain streams in dappled forests.”

“The proximity of nature is a constant source of amazement here, whether it is spotting zebra and wildebeest grazing on the slopes of Table Mountain from the highway, watching whales breach from a restaurant deck overlooking False Bay, supplicating before the Twelve Apostles mountain during a yoga class on Camps Bay beach or being halted by cavorting baboons near Cape Point,” says Ms Bryun.

She then captures the otherness of the city beyond the stunning natural features: a cool urban edge, excellent art galleries, hip bars, world-rated restaurants, design-savvy shops, and home to Africa’s innovative artists and designers, drawn by the city’s innate beauty.

And yet about 50 kilometres away from the urban setting are the historic vineyards of Stellenbosch with spell-binding views of the hillsides sporting neat rows of vines stretching for thousands of acres around the hillsides – with the backdrops of the jugged mountains that are snow peaked in winter which runs from June to August.

Sitting to fine dine at the Tokara Restaurant situated 1,200 feet above sea level on top of the Helshoogte Pass outside Stellenbosch, gave me dramatic views over Stellenbosch and False Bay.

Our tour guide said Stellenbosch is a major wine region in South Africa’s wine-making industry that produces about one billion litres of wine every year.

The local town, Stellenbosch, the second to be established after Cape Town, is said to be one of the most well-known towns in South Africa and carries centuries old history including the iconic Mother Church which dates back more than three centuries.

According to www.wineroute.co.za, history, culture, natural beauty, sport, education and wine has made the name Stellenbosch resonate around the globe as one of South Africa’s premier tourist, wine, business and education attractions with more than 150 wine farms and estates where both connoisseurs and novice wine-drinkers can enjoy the fruit of the vine. They can sample award-winning wines, relax and drink in the atmospheres of the wine lands.

VAST VINEYARDS

The Stellenbosch Winelands is also described as an undisputed gourmet capital, which offers something for all tastes. From the most discerning of diners to those who enjoy relaxed honest faire or celebrating the best of “local is lekker”, there’s scintillating offers on rich menus.

Stellenbosch also offers a huge selection of accommodation establishments matching all budgets, from historic Cape Dutch homesteads to modern, luxurious accommodation for those who wish to stay longer and breathe in the spectacular vistas and sweeping vineyards.

One could also choose accommodation in the city centre in hotels like The Taj in Cape Town. Occupying two historic buildings, it retains the architecture and many meticulously restored interior features of the original South African Reserve Bank and the old BoE building – formerly the Temple Chambers, built in 1890. Seventeen new storeys house suites, guestrooms and residences with magnificent views of the Mother City and the iconic Table Mountain.

Taj’s doors open to a precinct that includes the national and provincial parliaments, Government Avenue leading through the 350-year-old Company Gardens from St George’s Cathedral, the cosmopolitan crafts of St George’s Mall and Greenmarket Square and a diversity of culture, art, entertainment and cuisine.

RICHEST CITY

It’s also one of the landmarks that captures the opulence of one of the top five richest cities in Africa.

They told me that taking accommodation in the presidential suite will set you back some Sh500,000. Or you can take one room that costs much less but whose unique feature is a mattress which costs about Sh1 million.

Or a visit to the V&A Waterfront Situated at the foot of Table Mountain, within a stone’s throw from the Cape Town Stadium and in the heart of the city’s working harbour, the V&A Waterfront offers the visitor an abundance of unforgettable experiences.

Indoor shopping and entertainment venues seamlessly merge with ocean vistas and mountain views and the fresh sea breeze and warm African sun add zest to a cosmopolitan, vibrant atmosphere. More than 80 restaurants bring a fusion of international food, from rustic al fresco fish and chips to starched table-cloth cuisine.

Those who would love inland touring can obviously visit Johannesburg and tour the main city or the opulent Sandton area which boasts the richest square mile in Africa and boasts large and excellent conference facilities that are billed to generate an estimated Sh35 billion equivalent in the next five years.

Here sits top-of-the-line hotels like the Radisson Blu which offers top class amenities and packs a jogging track somewhat suspended in mid-air on the tenth floor for the keep-fit lovers. Or drive half an hour to capture some of South Africa’s richest history in Soweto, including a visit to the only street in the world – Vilakazi Street – where two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, have homes.

Just eight kilometres from the centre of Johannesburg lies the world famous yet uniquely South African Gold Reef City, where city residents and visitors go to play, relax and or for business conferences.

Gold Reef City is a re-creation of turn-of-the-century Johannesburg, which was flooded by prospectors after the discovery of gold in 1886. With its Victorian houses and geological displays, it offers many fascinating insights into life in Johannesburg long before the technological age. In the centre of Gold Reef City stands Shaft No 14, opened in 1887 and closed after 84 years of operation in 1971.

And away from the cities are the game parks, and the beauty of the people who have risen from the vice-like grip of apartheid to build a nation of equality they can proudly call their own, while yet retaining their culture and heritage.

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ZUMA'S NEW HOUSE 

SA’s public protector who lifted lid on Zuma’s Sh2bn house upgrade 

She embarked on investigating the security upgrades at President Jacob Zuma’s private Nkandla rural home (above) with the aim of separating the chaff from the wheat. Little did Thulisile Nomkhosi “Thuli” Madonsela, the South African Public Protector (Ombudsman) and an advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa, realise the impact her report would have. “My predecessors had said that the worst thing that was going to happen to me was that people would not greet me so that when I walk into the VIP lounge they will walk into another room. We have been criticised beyond our expectations but we have been rewarded beyond our contribution,” she told Lifestyle in a recent interview on the sidelines of the Regional Colloquium of African Ombudsman Institutions in Nairobi.

UNEXPECTED BACKLASH

The 2013 security upgrade of President Zuma’s private home in Nkandla was originally set to cost the State more than Sh2 billion equivalent. However, the eventual cost rose exponentially because of the addition of a swimming pool, amphitheatre, cattle kraal and the visitors’ centre.

As the holder of the State office mandated with protecting the public from exploitation by the government, Ms Madonsela initiated investigations into the irregular expenditures.

The result of her investigations was the revelation of a scandal that is still a hot-potato in South African political circles. Her office had ordered that President Zuma pay for all non-security related expenses at Nkandla. While welcomed by political opponents of President Zuma such as the fiery Julius Malema of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the main opposition party Democratic Alliance, the government was least appreciative of Ms Madonsela’s investigations.

She told Lifestyle some of the backlash was unexpected, including being turned from the hunter to the hunted when she was accused of corruption and fraud.

That was not all. She was branded a spy who was working for America. “I was even given an email address with my name on it. The CIA would not give you an email address with your name on it (if you’re their agent). I think the depth to which humanity can sink when people are afraid has been shocking to me.”

The single mother of two   confessed that at some point she feared for her life.

“The fringe elements were trying to take aim and there was some shock, anger and sadness. I prayed over it but it left me wondering what humans can do,” the 52-year-old lawyer, who describes herself as a spiritual person, said.

Despite the fears, she wasn’t flinching. No matter the difficult situation, consistency remained her key word, for the sake of the office she holds and the public.

– BY walter menya