One of Political Tour’s most successful tours to date. Now Jacob Zuma has gone South Africa is faced with the enormous task of restoring faith in the government and the economy. This wide-ranging tour starts in rural KwaZula Natal, passing through the Zulu war battlefields and includes both the townships of Johannesburg and Cape Town. You’ll meet some of South Africa’s top politicians and commentators and get exclusive access to the courts and parliament. The tour ends in the Cape Winelands. Even if you’ve been to South Africa already, you’ll get to see it in a different light on this unforgettable journey.
| DATES | Thursday 23 November – Sunday 3 December 2023 | ||||
| DESTINATION | Durban, Rural KZN, Johannesburg, Cape Town Led by Peter Sullivan, former Editor of the Star Newspaper, SA. | ||||
| DURATION | 10 nights | ||||
| INCLUDED |
| ||||
| COST | Cost: £ 6200.00 Single supplement: £ 700.00 |
We assess the legacy left by Nelson Mandela and challenges that remain. Still admired for it’s peaceful transition from Apartheid rule to a multi-party democracy, South Africa is now struggling with more familiar problems: corrupt politicians and a lacklustre economy. Can it turn itself around?
First-rate speakers brief us on the latest issues affecting the country, and ordinary South Africans of all backgrounds give their perspective, as we ask if the country can keep Mandela’s dream of a united, prosperous and democratic South Africa alive. Local communities help us get to grips with the issues South Africans face daily. With fantastic food and great hospitality in Kwa-Zulu Natal, urban Johannesburg and the stunning Cape Wine Lands- this tour is an exhilarating getaway.
Led by the inimitable Peter Sullivan, one of the best known journalists in South Africa and former editor of The Star newspaper.
Like all our tours the itinerary is focused on current affairs. Events on the ground may change and the final schedule may be adjusted accordingly.
We are currently updating the itinerary which includes two extra nights- i.e. now a ten night tour. Please contact us for more details.
NOTE: The 2023 dates are confirmed: Thursday 23 November 2023 to Sunday 3 December 2023
We start in Durban on Thursday 23 November 2023 (with an opening dinner and introduction to the tour at 7pm) – and end in Cape Town with breakfast on Sunday 3 December 2023 (we round up the tour with our farewell dinner on Saturday 2 December 2023).
COVID-19: We won’t go to a country unless it is safe to do so- we remain guided by the UK Foreign Office travel advice. For this reason some dates may change depending on the situation on the ground.
Thursday, 23 November 2023: Durban
Friday, 24 November 2023: Durban
Saturday, 25 & Sunday 26 November 2023: Dundee, Battlefields
Monday, 27 November 2023: Johannesburg, Soweto
Overnight Johannesburg
Tuesday, 28 November 2023: Johannesburg
Overnight Johannesburg.
Wednesday, 29 November 2023: Johannesburg
Overnight Johannesburg
Thursday, 30 November 2023: to Cape Town
Overnight Cape Town
Friday, 1 December 2023: Parliament, District 6, Cape Town
Saturday, 2 December 2023: Stellenbosch
Sunday, 3 December 2023: Tours Ends
What’s Included
All of your accommodation and meals with water are included, as well as local transport (except during your free time). Flights are not included in the price and need to be arranged by customers themselves or with an agent. We can advise you on reservations if you need any help.
Following the news
Like all our tours the itinerary is focused on current affairs. Events on the ground may change and the final schedule may be adjusted accordingly.
This tour starts in Durban, on the Natal coast on the evening of Thurs 23Nov and ends in Cape Town after breakfast on Sun 3 Dec, 2023.
COVID-19: We won’t go to a country unless it is safe to do so- we remain guided by the UK Foreign Office travel advice. For this reason some dates may change depending on the situation on the ground.
Group size
As on all our expert-led tours the groups are deliberately small and will not exceed 14 people. Limited spaces are available.
Hotels
Four and five star centrally located hotels.
Visa
UK passport holders : If you’re visiting South Africa for tourism or business purposes for a period of up to 90 days, you don’t need a visa. Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 30 days from the date of exit from South Africa. Your passport should have at least 2 blank pages when you present it at immigration to enter or leave South Africa.
Other passport holders may require a visa. It is always good to check with the embassy in your country for latest advice regarding visa requirements.
FCO Website – Travel Advice
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes regularly updated travel information on its website www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo which you are recommended to consult before booking and in good time before departure. Where it considers it appropriate to do so, the FCO may advise against all travel or all but essential travel to particular countries or parts of particular countries. Similarly, the FCO may withdraw any such previously given advice. Where the FCO issues such advice, we may as a result cancel your tour or make changes so as to avoid the area concerned (see clause 10 or our conditions). Alternatively, we may ask you to sign a form confirming you wish to proceed with the tour notwithstanding the FCO advice. It is in the nature of the itineraries we offer that the FCO may have issued such advice in relation to the country or parts of the country we are intending to visit prior to confirmation of your booking. In this case, you will be asked to sign the above form before we confirm your booking.
Medical Requirements
Advice on health requirements may be obtained from your GP, or alternatively from the Department of Health Leaflet Advice on Health for Travelers, or the Department of Health in the UK. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/destinations.aspx.
Currency
Local currency is South African Rand (ZAR)
Weather
It is summer in March. It is sunny and hot in the day. It can be cooler in the evenings.
What to wear
Dress is generally casual and comfortable, comfortable walking shoes are essential. We also have a range of meeting with politicians or senior officials where we are expected to be more formally dressed. For these men will need a jacket (and tie) and women the female equivalent.
Electricity & Plugs
Electricity supply is 220/230 volts AC 50 HZ. Most plugs are 15 amp 3-prong or 5 amp 2-prong (European) with round pins.
Peter Sullivan edited The Star, South Africa’s premier daily newspaper from 1993 to 2000 – through the country’s transition to democracy. In 2001 he was appointed Group Editor-in-Chief of Independent Newspapers 16 South African titles, a position he held until 2010.
After teaching and the army he joined the Rand Daily Mail as a cadet reporter before becoming the country’s leading political analyst in Parliament. In the 1980s he interviewed domestic Presidents and Prime Ministers John Vorster, PW Botha, FW de Klerk; in Africa Zambia’s Presidents Chiluba and Kaunda, abroad President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher.
He has had many interviews with former President Mandela.
A keen twitcher, story teller, and World Economic Forum Veteran, in 2010 Peter was honoured by Print Media South Africa with a Print Media Fellowship, for “determination, dedication and integrity in a passionate drive for the betterment of the South African newspaper industry.”
Peter has travelled to over 60 countries, many as a guest of their governments. He served on boards from Johannesburg’s waste company Pikitup to The Smile Foundation; brought the Open Society Foundation to SA at George Soros’ request, and has chaired a brace of charities from BirdLife South Africa to The Star Seaside Fund, Operation Snowball and the Hamper Fund.
He is currently Chairman of Landelahni, a top recruitment, leadership and assessment company, which occupies a special place as it is owned entirely by people who are black or female.
Consultant on Media, Politics, Environment. | Peter Sullivan Consulting
Johannesburg | 2010 – present
Chair | Landelahni
Johannesburg | 2009 – present
Chair | BirdLife SA
Johannesburg | 2007 – present
Trustee | Grey College Foundation
Bloemfontein | 2007 – present
Director | Social Entrepreneur Foundation
Johannesburg | 2006 – present
Chair | Press Freedom Committee, PMSA
Johannesburg | 2003 – present
Chair | Star Seaside Fund
Johannesburg | 2001 – present
Chair | Operation Snowball
Johannesburg | 2000 – present
Director | Ngoma Trust
Johannesburg | 1999 – present
Chair | Sauer Street Charities
Johannesburg | 1998 – present
An extraordinary trip and an extraordinary host. One of the most important trips of my life.”
South Africa, July 2016
“Clear close insight into new South Africa – I’m a big fan of what Nicholas can put together – his interview style, his interviewees, his accompanying guides (here Peter Sullivan)”
South Africa, July 2016
“Our personal tour guide was Peter Sullivan, the Editor-in-Chief of one of the leading newspapers. Charming, brilliant, and indefatigable.”
South Africa, July 2016
“Such a wide range of voices (very important) – rich and very poor, nice and not so nice, academic and impressionist – it all comes together if you’re ready to reflect”
GG, South Africa, 2014 It was well planned and gave a good perspective on the enormous advantages that South Africa has as a country, but also on the enormous problems that it is facing. Political Tours looked after us impeccably. Peter Sullivan’s participation in the trip enhanced it enormously – his personality and depth of knowledge were wonderful. JB, South Africa, 2014
Political Tours recommended reading list for the South Africa tour
“After Mandela: The Battle for the Soul of South Africa” by Alec Russell
- Publisher: Hutchinson (September 1, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0091926017
- ISBN-13: 978-0091926014
Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom is a must.
“An Inconvenient Youth: Julius Malema and the ‘new’ ANC” by Fiona Forde
- Print Length: 304 pages
- Publisher: Portobello Books (September 6, 2012)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B0094EPI96
Alan Paton’s Cry the Beloved Country is a universal tale of urbanisation and of apartheid.
- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Scribner; First as such edition (December 2, 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 074326195X
- ISBN-13: 978-0743261951
“Khayelitsha: Umlungu in a Township” by Steve Otter is also an interesting (but non-essential) read about racial divides today.
http://www.amazon.com/Khayelitsha-Steven-Otter/dp/0143025473
- Publisher: Penguin Global (May 14, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0143025473
- ISBN-13: 978-0143025474
The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda, a novel that looked at inter-racial relations in the 1970s but tells an interesting tale.
http://www.amazon.com/Madonna-Excelsior-Novel-Zakes-Mda/dp/0312423829
- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Picador (February 10, 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312423829
- ISBN-13: 978-0312423827
There are current biographies of Cyril Ramaphosa and Thabo Mbeki, and
There’s also a slew of books on SA politics for the Christmas season.
Mmusi Maimane: Prophet or Puppet? – The first biography of the man who rose from obscurity to become leader of the DA
‘Mr Maimane, good evening to you and, with the greatest of respect, who are you?’ This is how journalist Jeremy Maggs began his television interview with Mmusi Maimane in 2011 when he was unveiled as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg. Since then, the charismatic Maimane’s rise from obscurity to leader of the DA in 2015 has been nothing short of meteoric.
His anointment as leader of the DA made history, marking the completion of this political party’s transformation from ‘white’ political party to one whose new leader shared similar experiences to those of the majority voters. Yet there are those, even within the party, who denounce Maimane as nothing more than a puppet dancing to the tune of white masters. So who is the real Maimane? Experienced political reporter S’thembiso Msomi goes behind the scenes to examine how and why Maimane rose head up the opposition party. He delves into Maimane’s formative years, his time at the pulpit in the church, and his family, to bring substance to the man. Msomi also examines Maimane’s first year as head of the DA in the run-up to the local government elections, assessing how this young man has negotiated the often treacherous waters of political power. Finally, the author attempts to answer these burning questions: is Maimane his own man, and can he deliver the electorate that the DA so fervently desires?
Product details
- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers (1 July 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1868427080
- ISBN-13: 978-1868427086
Not Without a Fight: The Autobiography Kindle Edition
by Helen Zille (Author)
Helen Zille’s long-awaited autobiography is one of the most fascinating political stories of our time.
Zille takes the reader back to her humble family origins, her struggle with anorexia as a young woman, her early career as a journalist for the Rand Daily Mail, and her involvement with the End Conscription Campaign and the Black Sash. She documents her early days in the Democratic Party and the Democratic Alliance, at a time when the party was locked in a no-holds-barred factional conflict.
Product description
About the Author
Before entering politics, Zille made a name for herself as a political journalist and outspoken critic of apartheid, working for South Africa s leading liberal newspaper, the Rand Daily Mail. Zille joined the Democratic Party in the mid-1990s, where she was asked to reformulate the party s education policy. After a term in the Western Cape provincial legislature under the newly formed Democratic Alliance she was elected to the National Assembly as a member of Parliament in 2004, serving on the Portfolio Committee on Education and as the party s national spokesperson. In 2006 Zille was elected mayor of Cape Town and in 2007 took over as leader of the Democratic Alliance. When her party won the Western Cape in the 2009 general election, she was appointed premier of the province, a position that she continues to hold after stepping down as DA leader in 2015.
Product details
- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 12915 KB
- Print Length: 560 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; 1 edition (7 Oct. 2016)
- Language: English
- ASIN: B01LX6KBD0
Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Hardcover – 17 Nov 2016
by Trevor Noah
The New York Times Top 10 Bestseller
The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
Product details
- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: John Murray (17 Nov. 2016)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1473635284
- ISBN-13: 978-1473635289
Web sites
SA Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA.gov.za)
Center for Development and Enterprise (cde.org.za),
CDE has an excellent series of policy papers and also has useful reading lists for those wanting a more in depth or academic assessment of economics and development in South Africa.
SA Institute of Race Relations (www.sairr.org.za/)
The best place for reading about the day-to-day political debate is http://www.politicsweb.co.za/
There is The Daily Maverick as an unusual and informative irreverent site.
For a more academic approach it is worth while seeing some of the papers published by the South African Labour and Development Research Unit – SALDRU.
Peter Sullivan and friends recommend:
Favourite books on South Africa to read, suggested by friends of our tour expert Peter Sullivan. This is an eclectic mix from a politically savvy group who all are passionate about South Africa.
Charles van Onselen, historian
Fiction
Alan Paton, Cry the Beloved Country,
JM Coetzee, Disgrace
Andre Brink, Dry White Season,
Eskia Mphalele, Down Second Avenue
Zakes Mda, Ways of Dying
Non-Fiction
Giliomee, The Afrikaners,
Brian Willan’s, Sol Plaatje – biography
Phyllis Ntantala, A Life’s Mosaic
Sol Plaatje, Native Life
RW Johnson, SA’s Brave New World.
CW de Kiewiet, Social and Economic History of SA.
Jennifer Cohen, media consultant
Fiction
Spiral House by Claire Robertson. Fabulous for a million reasons.
Innocence of Roast Chicken by Jo-Anne Richards (belongs in the SA canon, with its sympathetic portrayal of a torturer).
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. Won a Hugo award in the US.
Devil’s Chimney by Anne Landsman. Grim, but completely evocative.
The Track, by Katy Bauer (both set around Oudtshoorn) similar vein, but shorter than Devil’s Chimney.
Disgrace by J M Coetsee
Cold Stone Jug by Herman Charles Bosman
Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer.
Non-fiction
Do we presume they’ll have read Long Walk to Freedom and My Traitor’s Heart?
And I liked Patti Waldmeir’s book on the transition, Anatomy of a Miracle: The End of Apartheid and the Birth of a New South Africa, which they may have read.
Plains of Camdeboo, Eve Palmer. My favourite.
Antjie Krog’s Country of My Skull about the TRC
Jonny Steinberg’s Midlands or Three-Letter Plague
Thieves at the Dinner Table, David Lewis (the class-action lawyer will like this)
Lerato Tshabalala’s The Way I See it: The Musings of a Black Woman in the Rainbow Nation
Ivan Vladislavic’s Portrait with Keys
Edwin Cameron’s love affair of the law, Justice: A Personal Account
Raising the Bar, Songezo Zibi
Maybe Tony Leon’s Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa’s Icon
More historical perhaps Richard Steyn’s Jan Smuts,
Mostert’s Frontiers,
Pakenham’s Boer War.
Rochelle Keene, PA
Fiction
Antjie Krog: Country of my skull
Zakes Mda: The heart of redness
JM Coetzee: Disgrace (I hated it)
Chris van Wyk: Shirley, goodness and mercy
E’skia Mphahlele: Down Second Avenue
Non-fiction
Luli Callinicos: The world that made Mandela
James Clarke, columnist and author
Non-fiction
Daphne Sheldrick’s “Love, life and elephants” – a delightful read – it provides an unforgettable insight into elephants.
Denys Reitz ‘s “On Commando” for an intensely readable taste of the Boer War plus a look at the psyche of an educated Boer.
Maberley’s “Mammals of Southern Africa” (revised and updated by Richard Goss) – this is the best guidebook to SA Mammals.
Roberts Bird Guide
Clive Walker’s “Signs of the Wild” – illustrates spoor and droppings.
James Clarke’s “Save Me From the lion’s Mouth” the age-old conflict between rural people and wildlife.
Gordon Forbes, tennis legend and author
Fiction
The Beadle by Pauline Smith
False River by Dominique Botha
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Disgrace by JM Coetzee
Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner
A Dry White Season by Andre Brink
Non-fiction
My Traitor’s Heart by Riaan Malan
Country of my Skull by Antje Krog
Jan Smuts by Richard Steyn
Commando by Denys Reitz
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
The Boer War by Thomas Pakenham