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In 1976 Mannie Manim and the late Barney Simon set out to convert the old  Johannesburg Indian Fruit Market, built in 1913, into a theatre. Little did they know they were building a playhouse that would become internationally known as South Africa’s “theatre of struggle.” A conviction that culture can change society keeps the Market Theatre evolving and culturally relevant to a new generation of theatre lovers and performing artists in post-apartheid South Africa. Much more than just a theatre, the Market is a multi-disciplinary complex for promoting theatre, drama, music, dance, and photography...

(GPS coordinates: -26.201823, 28.032348)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/entertainment/market-theatre

 

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Fort Selwyn is situated on Gunfire Hill, overlooking Grahamstown. It was named after Captain Charles Jasper Selwyn of the Cape Corps of Royal Engineers. Selwyn, who was responsible for the design and construction of the fort, was stationed in the Eastern Cape from 1834 to 1842. In 1925 it was converted into a domestic residence and tea garden. Declared a National Monument in 1936, Fort Selwyn has been restored, and has been run by the Albany Museum since 1977. It is very popular with Grahamstown’s locals for a few sundowners on warm evenings, and is the best spot to view the lights of the town at night…

(GPS coordinates: -33.318874, 26.518346)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/cultural/fort-selwyn-old-provost

 

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Leopard Creek Country Club near Malelane has established itself as arguably the best golf course in the country and was ranked as number one on Golf Digest’s rankings for six consecutive years between 2005 and 2010. In 2012, it again took top honours.

The course, situated in the heart of the African Bushveld and a stone’s throw from the Kruger Park, was designed by golfing legend Gary Player in 1996, and plays host to the Alfred Dunhill Championship, an annual European Tour event which attracts some of the world’s top golfers.

The name of the game at Leopard Creek is exclusivity - only members, guests of members, and visitors staying at the Malelane Sun Intercontinental Hotel on site or a select few lodges in the region are permitted to play here.

This means that those fortunate enough to play the course will feel as though they  are sharing it only with the giraffe, antelope and buffalo that often wander across the immaculate fairways. 

Green fees for guests at the Intercontinental are R1850 for 18 holes, while those staying at the various lodges pay up to R2500...

(GPS coordinates: -25.44185, 31.534827)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/activities/leopard-creek-golf-estate

 

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Situated in a 490 hectare game reserve near Bela-Bela, Elements Private Golf Reserve is bounded by the mountainous splendour of the Waterberg Region in Limpopo. Tis lush Peter Matkovich designed course is a seamless blend of nature’s beauty and man’s orderly designs.  Masterfully landscaped, the course zigzags its way through a fertile valley bursting with resplendent indigenous trees and surrounded by bushveld plains filled with a variety of wildlife. With some unusual holes, the course is challenging and fun to play and has some good birdie opportunities, making it friendly enough to accommodate golfers of all abilities. Only one and a half hours’ drive from Pretoria, the course’s private nature means that it can only be played with a club member, or by guests staying at the luxury accommodation on the reserve. Green and golf cart fees per person are only available upon request...

(GPS coordinates: -24.792048, 28.134462)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/activities/elements-private-golf-reserve

 

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During the flower season (August and September), the drive along the rough gravel road to the Skilpad Wild Flower Garden, part of the Namaqua National Park, is simply mind-blowing. We’ve all heard about wild flowers “carpeting” the veld – but there is nowhere quite as impressive as this. The plains and lower slopes are a mass of magnificent oranges, yellows and purples, while great granite domes jut into the dark blue sky then turn burnt orange in the evening sun. Two short trails from the reception office allow you to enjoy the annual floral displays on foot...

(GPS coordinates: -30.16607, 17.797904)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/hiking/skilpad-trail

 

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When the British invaded Zululand in January 1879, Lord Chelmsford led the central column across the Buffalo. Meanwhile, Colonel Charles Pearson proceeded up the coast from Durban with 4 500 men and orders to attack Ulundi from the east. Turning inland at Gingindlovu, he repulsed a Zulu impi at Nyezane on 22 January. The following day, he reached a mission station called kwaMondi. This station was named after the Norwegian missionary, Reverend Ommund Oftebro, who was known by the Zulus as ‘Mondi’. The site of the Norwegian mission and British fort is marked by a stone cairn just outside Eshowe...

(GPS coordinates: -28.893319, 31.496644)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/cultural/fort-eshowe-fort-kwamondi

 

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Arts on Main, in the Maboneng Precinct, was a disused 1900s industrial warehouse that’s been revamped into a creative hub for artists, poets, dancers and filmmakers. The aim is to lure suburban art lovers back into the city. Arts on Main’s original industrial structures remain intact and provide an interesting contrast to the modern mix of art galleries, shops, a rustic restaurant and artists’ studios. All of them centre on a courtyard of lemon and olive trees...

(GPS coordinates: -26.20465, 28.057508)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/art-craft/arts-main