Johannesburg

‘Jo’burg’, the capital of the region Gauteng, is a fascinating city with a modern centre, combining its ways with the older surroundings.

It is a very modern city with excellent shopping by any standards, but being a financial centre it does not hold as many attractions for tourists as other cities like Cape Town.

Sights in Johannesburg include the new Museum Africa which offers an honest and self-critical look at the nation’s sometimes troubled past and the Market Theater Complex which houses theaters and a Saturday flea market.

History buffs will be interested in the Smuts Library at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) where South African statesman Jan Smuts’ book collection is preserved. The university’s Gubbins Library has an extensive collection of books on Africa.

The Apartheid museum, next to Gold Reef City theme-park, is a fantastic architectural piece and a moving yet informative means of learning about Apartheid and the recent political history of South Africa.