Africa’s Treasure Route from Johannesburg to Kimberley

DAY ONE: EXPLORING JOHANNESBURG
Welcome to Soweto

Johannesburg, the City of Gold or Egoli, so named by the Zulu nation, conjures up images of mine shafts, mine dumps, gold bars, and gumboot dancing. Affectionately called Jozie or Joburg, it’s the largest city and the business hub of South Africa. It is almost obligatory to visit the sprawling township of Soweto, an acronym for ‘South-Western Townships,’ that is closely linked to the mining industry. This originated as informal settlements sprung up when black people streamed into Joburg during the gold rush.

Soweto hums with activity – taxis weave in and out through traffic honking their horns if they have space for another passenger. One cannot help but gape at the rows of minivans parked across from the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the third largest in the world. Informal businesses line the streets with colorful signs advertising little shops or ‘spazas’ selling food and groceries. Barbeque smoke tickles the nostrils as entrepreneurs cook meals over open fires or in petrol drums on street corners. People wait their turn at huge storage containers which have been turned into communication centers offering cellphone and other communication services.

Stop in Vilakazi Street where a group of youth is bound to greet you with a ‘Welcome to Soweto’ song. Two Nobel Prize winners, Nelson Mandela, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived on this same street. Mandela’s home is now a museum offering public tours during the week. Only a block away, on the corner of Moema Street, is the Hector Peterson Museum and memorial stand telling the story of the student uprising on June 16, 1976, now proclaimed a national Youth Day, when Hector Peterson was killed by the police.

Today, however, there is a happy noise of people bartering at the many street markets selling brightly printed shirts, skirts, tablecloths, and carved curios. There are also some authentic restaurants here with the wait staff calling out: “Try our traditional food – you like maize? Well, have some samp, and ‘pap.’ And what about ‘boerewors,’ you know, farmer’s sausage?”

Gold Reef City
The Underground Mine Heritage Tour

Head to Gold Reef City for the underground Mine Heritage Tour (Jozi’s Story of Gold). Your heart will race as you descend into the depths of the earth breathing in the increasingly cold air. It is intriguing to observe the process of panning for specks of gold from what was solid rock. The specks are liquified, and the bright fluid gold is poured into bars, surprisingly heavy once solidified. A well-deserved certificate of participation is issued at the end of the tour.

The Apartheid Museum and a Message of Reconciliation

Round off the Joburg experience with a visit to the Apartheid Museum, also situated In the Gold Reef City complex. The Museum sets the tone by issuing an entrance ticket classifying you ‘white’ or ‘non-white’: “Please use the entrance indicated on the front of your ticket.” The museum accurately portrays the reality of the apartheid years through detailed displays vividly brought to life by accompanying photos and videos. There is an emphasis on the life of Nelson Mandela and the role he played in the transitional years. The tour ends with a message of reconciliation, leaving one with a sense of wonder at how the country became the ‘Rainbow Nation’ it is today. Allow about two hours to take it all in. There is a lovely restaurant on the premises where you can get refreshments and tasty meals at reasonable prices.

There is a long list of excellent hotels in Johannesburg but book your stay at the luxury Rosebank Lodge Guesthouse, Parkwood, Rosebank, for true South African hospitality, excellent breakfasts and personal service. It is a hidden gem.

DAY TWO: ON THE N12 TREASURE ROUTE

Leave the City of Gold and be ready to discover gems of the non-precious kind along the 300 miles long N12 Treasure Route to Kimberley, the City of Diamonds. As one leaves the province of Gauteng, passing abandoned and reclaimed mine dumps and informal settlements, one begins to catch glimpses of rural South African life. Families cross the road balancing firewood and other belongings on their heads, children run alongside the highway pushing cars fabricated from wire, and workers take tea breaks or have a quick nap in the grass next to the traffic. Weird road signs appear like, “Fences are down, and cattle may be in the road”.

The road crosses into the North-West province and through the university town of Potchefstroom – predominantly Afrikaans-speaking, one of the youngest languages in the world. The next town, Klerksdorp, welcomes you with metal sculptures at the traffic lights and vendors winding through the cars selling vegetables, fruit, cellphone chargers, and all kinds of things. When you have a chance, it’s a good idea to pull into a gas station to use the facilities – toilets are few and far between on South African roads. At the Total complex, Bonjour, a French-style café, offers unusual menu items such as Egg Hot Boxes with healthy ingredients, a variety of oats and Fresh Breakfast Pots, Toasted Sandwiches and Sausage Rolls. Try some Mugg and Bean (M & B) coffee, a favorite throughout the country.

The road unfolds along fields dotted with impressive termite hills, wind pumps silhouetted against the sky, lonely farm dams, and machines churning out round bales of hay. The odd donkey cart overloaded with happy passengers waving at passing cars provides a humorous distraction. There are a few mines along the way, interspersed with game farms so that, incongruously, a giraffe or zebra might suddenly appear. Do as the locals do: pull off the road, put on your hazard lights and roll down the windows. Enjoy the fresh country air and the peaceful wildlife scene.

Drive further along through the maize-farming towns and silos of Wolmaransstad on the Makwasi River and Christiana on the Vaal River. At Wolmaransstad you can take a Digger’s Diamond Tour, and visit the Thomas Leask House where Paul Kruger was a regular visitor; near Christiana, you can view San Bushman rock art.

Soon after crossing the border into the Northern Cape, there are more surprises in store: an unlikely herd of baby llamas grazes at the entrance of the Phumla Gas Station in Warrenton, and 4 miles before reaching Kimberley, there’s a gravel turn-off to the Kamfers Dam where endangered pink flamingos nest. During September and October, one can see flocks of up to 50,000 birds.

Get a feel for the City of Diamonds by staying at either of two historic hotels, both luxuriously upgraded – The Half-Way House Hotel or the Kimberley Club.

DAY THREE: EXPLORING KIMBERLEY
The City of Diamonds

The Big Hole

The story of the Kimberley diamond mine began when a few children picked up some pretty stones on the banks of the Orange River, and one happened to be a diamond. The ensuing “diamond rush” started in 1871 when between 40 and 50 000 prospectors turned up with picks and shovels in hand. They excavated what is regarded as the largest manually dug hole in the world, 790 feet deep and measuring 1000 by 600 feet. After the walls began to collapse, underground tunnels were introduced, and after amalgamations and power struggles, Cecil Rhodes de Beers Mining Company took over operations.

When the mining work stopped in 1914, about 6,000 pounds of diamonds had been recovered. De Beers Mines re-opened it in 1963 and still operates it today. The observation deck over it is the actual size of the area of a mining claim, making the look-out an authentic experience. A tour of the mine tells the history and the processes involved in the diamond mining industry.

The Big Hole Open Air Museum

The Big Hole Open Air Museum provides the visitor with an opportunity to wander from one quaint building to another: stores, banks, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, and other businesses were relocated to create a “step back in time” experience. Locomotives and wagons are on display, and there is a tram ride. Walking through the dusty streets of this reconstructed mining town at Kimberley’s Big Hole, it’s easy to imagine the miners’ thirst at the end of a hard work day.

Indeed, enjoy a drink and lunch at The Occidental Bar (the “Ox”), strategically positioned on the grounds. Wonderful home brews sport interesting Afrikaans names and the excellent menu is reasonably priced.

Historic Kimberley

Driving through Kimberley you’ll discover many historic buildings with Victorian-style architecture. Be sure to visit the McGregor Museum and the William Humphreys Art Gallery, one of the most comprehensive in South Africa. Finally, have dinner at either the Kimberley Club where, in the hey-day, millionaires occupied every chair or at The Half-Way House Hotel, regularly frequented by Cecil John Rhodes who ordered his first drink while sitting on his horse outside. At both you’ll revel in the special moments on the momentous drive along South Africa’s Treasure Route.