Day 51

Day fifty one
Sarurday - 7th March 2020

Current position
Signature Lux Hotel by Onomo
135 West Street
Nelson Mandela Square
Sandton
2146
Johannesburg
South Africa
S 26°6.39948'
E 28°3.31788'

Another day ticking off Ros' diminishing list of places to visit.
First off we went to the Amatuli African Art and Furniture Shop in the continuing search for a so and so Colonial Gentleman. Again we were out of luck so unfortunately I'm now resigned to the fact that they are not available in Johannesburg and may have to settle for one of the smaller stretched ones.
It was a lovely sunny day as yet another Uber dropped us at the Bryanston Organic Market. This market is held a couple of times a week and on a Saturday it appeared to be the place where the locals met to have a chat over breakfast from one of the many stalls selling food. It was very noticeable that everyone at the market both customers and stall holders were white with just a token black face amongst them. Infact it could have been an English Market on a summer's day.  While we were sipping our coffee with a large slab of carrot cake a lady passed by looking for somewhere to sit and I indictated that she was welcome to join us at our table and she sat down. A few moments later her mother joined us too. Ros as usual was the first to strike up a conversation which soon turned to the problems associated with living in South Africa ranging from problems with the Government to the economy to load shedding etc etc. It was very interesting to hear their views. The lady's mother had lived through the Apartheid era and believed that the end of Apartheid was a good thing but the underlying problem now is that there are no longer White People in Government or business and that the Black People lack experience in these matters. She also stated that she felt corruption in Government Bodies was rife as it is within the Police Force. Our time chatting flew by and in the end we must have been talking for a good hour and a half.
Next it was Liliesleaf Farm which is a series of buildings that was originally set in about twenty eight acres of land. It became the secret headquarters of the African National Congress as they needed a safe place to live and hold meetings away from the Authorities. Liliesleaf Farm became the nerve centre of the liberation movement for it was here that they planned their actions.
In 2009 it was transformed into a very modern museum displaying in minute detail the events that took place for the struggle for freedom. It also gave a blow by blow account of the raid that took place by the police when all the leaders of the ANC were arrested during one of their meetings. No one has ever admitted how the police knew that they were hiding out and having a meeting at the precise time of the raid. The displays were so detailed that there was too much to read and take in. We did our best before closing time at four o'clock.
The best display incorporated a video of four ANC members describing their escape from a local prison in Pretoria. It was the stuff that films are made of and funnily enough when I googled it a series was made of the escape in 2013.
We left at four with me making a mess of summoning an Uber. Somehow I asked the Uber to pick us up at the destination not our present location so the poor old driver was trying to pick us up some 8 kilometres away. Oh dear. When I realised my mistake I cancelled the trip and started again. Now I'm waiting for the "small" cancellation fee.
We finally arrived at the Rosebank Mall and had a cup of tea at Woolworth's a chain of stores looking remarkably like Marks and Spencers.
Afterwards as we were trying to find the Rosebank Gautrain Station a white lady tripped up on the top step of a flight of stairs. I casually said did you enjoy your trip. She smiled and said you look lost can I help you? I told her we were looking for the Gautrain Station. Pointing straight ahead she said follow me. She lead the way and we began chatting. She was South African born and bred but no longer enjoys living here and she is seriously thinking of emigrating to Athens in Greece. She told us that she is a writer and that her job can with the Internet be done anywhere in the World and Athens seems a good place for inspiration. She gave a similar description of South Africa as the mother and daughter duo had done at the Organic Market.
After a good half an hour chatting we parted with her pointing to the entrance of the station. Sandton was only a stop away and within minutes we were back at the hotel.
After a quick turn around we were out again for our last meal at one of our favourite restaurants the "Ocean Basket".