By Abbas Jimoh
South
Africa — For me the first step of the over 4, 493 kilometres (2, 792
miles) flight from Abuja to Johannesburg, South Africa, started with the
formal announcement of the South African Airways (SAA)
Abuja-Johannesburg direct flight on November 17, 2015, in Abuja. The
airline said the inaugural flight was part of measures to boost
bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa.
Regional General
Manager - Africa and Middle East, Aaron Munetsi and the Country Manager -
Nigeria, Thobi Duma told Daily Trust that it has always been the dream
of SAA to ensure expanded air travel in the continent since it began
operations in Nigeria in 1998 in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital.
Ambassador Lulu
Louis Mnguni, the South Africa High Commissioner to Nigeria, during the
formal launch, said the flight would, among other things, engender the
tourism relationship between Nigeria and his country, adding that more
Nigerians were expected to visit South Africa and vice versa.
"We are happy to
witness and to deepen Africa Agenda. We can have another Krouga Park in
Bauchi State through tourism exchange," Mnguni said. "This will also
assist the youths of the two countries to collaborate with each other
and generate more employment opportunities that can also be used to stem
the insurgency in the North-east."
The
Abuja-Johannesburg direct maiden flight on January 27, 2016, had 120
passengers, including leading 19 travel and tour agents mostly based in
Abuja and parts of the north. Being the only journalist on the trip, I
saw the trip as a combination of work, fun and learning, with Mohammed
Abdullahi of Topcomm working round the clock to get things done.
The Airbus 330-200,
after formal ceremony and formalities, departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, at about 10:18 am for the five-hour and 34
minutes flight. It arrived at the Oliver Tambo International Airport at
around 15:52 GMT (4:52 pm Nigerian time).
The 'Abuja Team'
was led by Elidoni Okpeta of the SAA, and Mohammed Tanko Kwajafa, the
Trade Relations Manager of the South African Tourism. We were received
on arrival by the duo of Jennifer Beattle the Sales Manager Africa of
Sun International and Zalia Hendricks, a key Account Manager of Legend
Tours. The two organisations partnered the SAA on accommodation,
transportation and other logistics to ensure the success of the trip.
Bheki George, our tour guide, worked with Kwajafa and Doni to make the
trip worthwhile.
Bheki told us that
the history of Johannesburg extends back thousands of years when it was
inhabited by migrants from Nigeria and Cameroon before it was formally
'opened' in 1886 with the discovery of gold and the Witwatersrand reef.
He said the city,
comprising 12.5 million people, is proud to have 23 young millionaires
that contribute 40 percent of South Africa's GDP.
Wednesday night was
spent at the luxurious Maslow Hotel in Sandton, an up-market area north
of Johannesburg, a 20 minute-drive from the airport. Thursday saw the
Abuja team touring Johannesburg. We passed through the house of the
legendary Nelson Mandela, but, unfortunately, we couldn't enter because
we were not billed to visit the house.
Talking about the
country's gold, which is seen as the South African oil, Bheki said the
importance of preserving the value of the natural resource made it to be
seen as unwise any attempt to subsidise the price of the commodity. "We
cannot afford to lose high value of our precious gold in the name of
making it affordable for our people," he explained.
Palace of the Lost City Hotel
The Palace of the
Lost City Hotel is one of the most highly rated five star hotels in the
world. The hotel, which was inspired by the myth of a lost African
kingdom, is set on the highest ground in Sun City, ensuring that its
grand proportions and graceful towers are visible from across the
resort.
Lost cities
generally fall into two broad categories: those where no knowledge of
the city existed until the time of their rediscovery, and those whose
locations have been lost, but knowledge of their existence has been
retained in myths, legends, or historical records. The Palace of the
Lost City Hotel seems to have combined both attributes.
Opened in 1992, the
hotel invokes the memory of an ancient legend that existed during the
time when the rulers of the Lost City of Kalahari reigned supreme
throughout the region. The site has welcomed numerous celebrities,
including Michael Jackson, Elton John, Jean-Michel Jarre and Frank
Sinatra who had come to test their ability on the golf course designed
by Gary Player.
Jennifer said the
hotel boasts of five stars of socialising, palatial, luxury, near nature
reserve, cultural activities, valley of waves, business, bar, golf
course, gardens, night club, swimming pool, beach, restaurant and spa
among others. This magnificent hotel sprang from the imagination of the
creative South African multi-millionaire, Sol Kerzner.
Opened in 1978, Sun
City itself is a legendary resort in the heart of a semi-desert-like
region, standing out for its splendour, its magnificence and its
unbounded luxury. Built over a period of 10 years, Kerzner ensured the
inclusion of four hotels, a man-made lake, two Gary Player designed
championship golf courses and entertainment centre with an indoor
6,000-seat multi-purpose arena in which he presented many superstars,
including Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli and Shirley Bassey and also
serves as the venue of many world title fights promoted by Bob Arum's
Top Rank Organisation.
"I always believed
in Sun City. I brought gambling here, big stars and I organised concerts
with Jean-Michel Jarre. That's where I would meet my friends, Frank
Sinatra, Liza Minelli and Shirley Bassey," Kerzner said.
In 2001, Nigerian
Agbani Darego became the first black woman to receive the Miss World
award. She was officially crowned in the Sun City Super bowl.
One of my memorable
moments was riding the lost city's water fall in a floater. Being lost
for few seconds, that seemed like minutes in the dark tunnel and fear of
being thrown down the cliff at over 60km/hour is better left to the
imagination.
The Zulu Love Letter
It was Elidoni
Okpeta that presented 'The Zulu Love Letter' to female members of the
team but graciously offered me one. Zulu love-tokens (Incwadi) are woven
in beads and sent to lovers as a means of communication. Each colour or
combination of colours has specific meanings. Many of these have
changed over the years, but the basic and commonly used, according to
the one given to me, are: White - purity, vision, true love; Red -
strong emotion, intense love; Blue - faithfulness, loneliness; Green -
contentment, bliss; Yellow - wealth, jealousy; Pink - adds emphasis to a
promise, poverty; Black - marriage, anger, hurt, jealousy, and, Brown
represents love.
While there was no rand and naira to be made or spent, the experience of the trip was worth millions in any good currency.
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