SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE

[daveklepper]

Before describing my railfan activities in South Africa, I wish to set the scene by edited excerpt from Wikapedia describing what brought me there.

Sun City was developed by the hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of his Sun International group of properties. It was officially opened on 7 December 1979; at the time it was located in the Bantustan of Bophuthatswana. Sun City featured a large auditorium which seated 6,230.

My comment: It was opened by Frank Sinatra and his own backup band.  A month before the opening, Jeff Lohnstein, the sound system contractor ("Colloseum Sound")`had a week's session checking and adjusting the various sound systems.  For the main auditorium-arena, we were joined by Frank Sinatra's sound expert, who came to decide whether our system would meet the singer's and band's needs.  He was doubtful, because the system was primarily Altec, and he preferred JBL.  But he ended up saying: "You made the Altec system sound like a JBL system.  We will use it."  And the final song on the program was "New York, New York!" His singing was beautiful, and we did him and the band justice.

As Bophuthatswana had been declared an independent state by South Africa's apartheid government (although unrecognized as such by any other country), it could provide entertainment such as gambling and topless revue shows which were banned in South Africa. These factors, as well as its relatively close location to the large metropolitan areas of Pretoria and Johannesburg, ensured that Sun City soon became a popular holiday and weekend destination. The United Nations imposed a cultural boycott on South Africa in condemnation of apartheid. Despite this, many famous performers chose to flout the boycott and perform at the venue, such as the Beach Boys,^[2] Linda Ronstadt,^[2] Cher,^[2] Millie Jackson,^[2] Liza Minnelli,^[2] Frank Sinatra (1981),^[3] Paul Anka,^[3] Status Quo,^[4] Rod Stewart (July 1983),^[4][3] and Elton John (October 1983).^[3]

My comment: I think Sun City contributed to the end of Apartheid.   Because an Africans-speaking white would find themselves on the dancefloor next to a black couple and found it wasn't a bad experience at all.  And I think that was Sol Kerzner's major purpose.

British rock band Queen's series of performances at the venue in October 1984 in transgression of the boycott caused considerable controversy, prompting criticism in the British music press, a fine from the Musicians' Union and their inclusion on the United Nations' blacklisted artists. Following the criticism, Queen strongly defended their decision but donated to a school for the deaf and blind to prove their philanthropic values.^[4] In the late 1980s, Queen's song "We Will Rock You" was used as the sound track to Sun City's 60 second video promo, which was shown as commercial on SABC-TV and also when opening shows in Sun City's Superbowl auditorium .

In 1985, E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt made the venue the focus of his music-industry activist group, Artists United Against Apartheid. Forty-nine top recording artists collaborated on a song called "Sun City", in which they pledged they wouldn't perform at the resort because of their opposition to apartheid. Additionally, Simple Minds included the song as part of a live medley on their Live in the City of Light double album in 1987.

You easily find Sun City, now South Africa, not Boputatswana, on the internet.

 

In 1977, I was contacted by the architect Baba Selsick to work on the project.  I made a total of five trips there, always using South African Airlines for the going trip, with its refueling stop in Narobi, a 14-hour flight, economy class, but still comfortable with decent food.  One trip had me sitting next to Alexander Hamilton III, on his way for pure railfanning.  Since he was active at Seashore and I at Shore-Line/Branford, we had lots to talk about.  I had known him when I was at MIT and attended Boston NRHS meetings.

 

The design work was done mostly at the Selsick architectural office in Johannesburg, and I had brought some analogue tools with me to help, mostly constructed by my then partner Gerry Marshall.

 

Baba Selsick wished me to visit Praetoria, South Africa's capitol, and I agreed provided we would also visit the Capitol Park "Engine Sheds" there.  After the Foretrecker Monument and Jan Smuts' home, we went to the engine sheds.  The foreman at first forbad photography, but Baba said:  "David doesn't want to do a story on how you treat blacks, he just loves steam locomotives."  I said, "And I will photograph you in front of one and send you a print."  He posed in front of a blue and black 4-8-0, which he said was the loco assigned to switch the Blue train.  There was also a Rhodesian Garrett in for overhaul.  The foreman then offered to give me some throttle time on the 4-8-0 to move it from ready to sand to water to coal, and I did a creditable job. Used the independent brake, I think a vacuum brake.  In many ways, this visit was the highpoint of my life.

 

 Sol Kirzner asked me if I would also look at a hotel acoustic problem in the Sun City hotel in Cape Town, and also help the Anglican Cathedral there.  They are still using the distributed column system I designed and which Jeff installed.  I said I would, but going or returning had to be on the Blue Train.  It was the going trip.  Most of the route was electrified, but there was a middle stretch that was diesel.  The first part of the trip was overnight, but the scenery on the daylight portion was magnificent.  Great food , comfortable bed, spotless, everything 100%.

[daveklepper]

More meories:  On my first visit Johannesburg still had trolley buses, double-deck, but I was told they were only for blacks.  Second visit, wires up but only diesels. by my last visit the wires were down.

Handles on the sink were gold-plated, and it was in the main part of the compartment.  The john was in an annex with door.  Windows were double-glazed, and the tinting prevented viewing at night, although the reduced glare during the day was appreciated. 

Dinner had a fish course before the meat course, and a tasty vegtable plate was provided instead of the meat for vegitarian me.

Around midnight, I woke up and sensed we were at an engine-change point.  I got dressed quickly saw the door at the end of the side aisle was open, and went out to explre.  On an adjacent track was the regular-fare overnight Praetoria-Johannesburg-Capetown train with a black with red-trip steam locomotive at the head end.

Everyone I worked with got along with others, and there weren't any depreciating remarks about other ethnic groups.  But blacks always wore suits and ties and white sport clothes.  Local transportation for me was on accasion in Sol Kerzner's helliocopter, Jeff Lonjstein's Mereces, or Baba Selsick's less elegant auto.  In Capetown I was met and chauferred in a Southern Suns hotel van.All SA airplanes were desegregated, and I did have black seat-mates on occasion.

Jeff also took me on a long half-day drive from Johannesburg to the capitol of Botswana, a boardarig separate country, to look at the acoustics of a theater there, where he was probiding a sound system.  I meet with the people, provided some advice, and we returned during the evening and night by auto. Again, perfect English.    On the trip we crossed two SARy single-track electrified llines, but I did not see any trains on them.