Just South of Mthatha (Umtata) in the Eastern Cape on the rolling green Hills, of a cluster of Villages; their is one known as Qunu. It has recently been added to the map in South Africa because of its association with Madiba. Life in Qunu is quiet and peaceful. Goats frequent the streets of the Village, there is a single Fuel Station and one or two Supply Stores can be found.

Qunu is the Village where Nelson Mandela spent his childhood and it is close to Mthatha, where the Nelson Mandela Museum opened in February 2000.

All 18 Communities that fall under the Qunu Village have been affected positively by the recent attention. They now have access to water, electricity, Computer Labs, Libraries and pre-Schools. The people who deeply rooted in Xhosa Culture, are proud to have Madiba as the reason for the growth in interest and tourism. More and more tourists are adding Qunu to their itinerary and Ocean Liners are now anchoring in East London, are sending their passengers by road to Qunu, through the beautiful Great Kei River Pass.

In Qunu, the air is unpolluted and you can still see the Tembu and Xhosa women in their colourful and traditional dress with White Ochre tattooed faces to protect their skins from the sun and enhance their beauty. These same pastures are where Mandela herded cattle and sheep and where you can find his Retirement Home and the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre. People from all over the World are interested in visiting Qunu and the youth have plans to form a Tourism Organisation and to include Qunu in Hiking Trails in the Wild Coast area in order to encourage further tourism.

After his release, Mandela built a small House on his Family Plot, (said to be a replica of where he spent his last years in 'Victor Vester Prison'). He has subsequently built a bigger House where he stays when visiting Qunu!

The Community of Qunu, who are still largely reliant on subsistence farming and traditional ways of life, is very hospitable and only too happy to share experiences and stories with Tourists! The Eastern Cape produced a number of other heroes from the anti-Apartheid era - Walter Sisulu, Thabo Mbeki, Steve Biko, Chris Hani and Oliver Tambo -  making this Area’s claim to be the ‘Real Africa’ an authentic one!

Cape Town International Airport opened in 1954, replacing Wingfield Aerodrome, originally named D.F. Malan after the then, South African Prime Minister. With the fall of Apartheid in the early 1990's, the Airport came under the control of the newly formed Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and along with this, it was officially renamed as Cape Town International Airport.

Rapid growth ensued as post-Apartheid Trade and Tourism flourished peaking at 8.4 million passengers per Year in 2004/2005 and the Airport underwent a major upgrade in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Separate International and Domestic terminals were rebuilt but separated by a common Central Terminal. This was used to handle all flight check-ins at a cost of R 1.6 billion. The Airport has since undergone further extensions to increase Domestic and International Arrivals and Departures, Amenities as well as Parking. The expected date of completion for these renovations to Cape Town Airport is 2022! (The Airport’s revamp, has certainly not gone unnoticed – it won second place in the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality Awards (ACI-ASQ Awards) for the Middle East and Africa in 2006, 2007 and 2013 and placed third in 2008 and 2016. This is no small feat, since it meant beating out notable Middle Eastern heavyweights such as Dubai International Airport!) Cape Town Airport’s best performance came in 2010 to 2013 when it placed first for four Years, consecutively.

Most impressive of all was the achievement this Airport has placed in the top five in all Years barring one since the inception of the Awards. The Airport features high-tech processing, security that exceeds International standards, World-Class duty-free shopping, a number of fast casual dining Restaurants, and all the regular amenities such as Mobile Phone Kiosks and Forex Exchange outlets that you’d expect as a traveler.

The Airport is about 20 km from the City Centre, Foreshore and V&A Waterfront. This is where most of the Tourist Accommodation, activity hubs and Business bubbles are located. Facilities at all airports in South Africa, including at Cape Town International Airport, are compliant with minimum standards required by travelers who have disabilities.

Cape Town International Airport is Home to almost 3 800 000 departing passengers and 45 654 incoming air traffic movements. The passenger count has increased each Year, as more flight Routes and direct connections have been added. An even more expansive Runway is under construction so as to accommodate the newest mammoth; multi-seat and-storey aircraft, that are now increasingly being commissioned and used for air passenger travel. It is expected that air traffic and the number of airlines at this aerial hub will increase substantially once this new Runway is officially declared open. Which has now happened, (refer to article in Further Reading). The Airport is already extremely busy though – in fact, one of the Local Routes, Cape Town to Johannesburg, is rated the ninth busiest in the World!