I fell in love with South Africa during my first visit in 1976, 45 years ago. Stayed at the largest hotel in Africa, The Carlton.
During its twenty-five years in operation, the Carlton. a five-star hotel was the finest in South Africa and hosted celebrities including Henry Kissinger, François Mitterrand, Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Whitney Houston and Mick Jagger. Its restaurant, The Three Ships, was one of the best in Johannesburg. It’s totally closed.
The love affair continued with regular business visits and over one weekend enjoying Kruger Game Preserve. Jo-Berg, Cape Town, White River, Port Elizabeth, Durban and a drive down to Cape Point from Cape Town on my last visit, probably 40 years ago during what turned out to be my last visit but not the end of the love affair with South Africa. My first time piloting a twin engine aircraft was in South Africa. A trip to Rhodesia was another delight. But South Africa today is a failed nation even though there is tremendous mineral wealth there. Sixty three commercially important minerals are mined in significant quantities in South Africa including gold, diamonds, platinum and so on. The problem is there is no oil.
The national airline South African Airways which was forbidden to fly over black Africa went bankrupt and after millions in bailout money was closed for good. SAA flew a regular flight using Boeing 747SP’s from Kennedy to Johannesburg. That’s over. The Post Office Is Corrupt and Bankrupt. The main hospital in Johannesburg burned down. The historic library at the University of Cape Town burned down destroying lots of irreplaceable South African history books. If you want to help South Africa at least buy some South African wine.
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