Magnificent Cape Town

A view of the city with the iconic Cape Town Stadium in sight and a section of Table Mountain in the background. [Photo: Ferdinand Mwongela/Standard]

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, Nov. - The city lies at the tip of the continent, right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, framed against Table Mountain and a far cry away from most African cities, writes FERDINAND MWONGELA

Stepping into the South African city of Cape Town, you are hit with the overwhelming feeling of being in some pristine holiday resort.

It is a far cry from what you would expect of South Africa’s second most populous city behind Johannesburg, and the seat of the Western Cape.

The clean streets and the muted feeling of a light hearted heady feel that seems to come over me whenever I am in a coastal city almost caught me on the back foot.

Given, South Africa has done pretty well in terms of infrastructure, some of it buoyed by the preparations to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup, but even bustling Johannesburg cannot hold a candle to this city nestled beside Table Mountain like a child in his mother’s arms.

Table Mountain

The city’s closeness to the flat topped mountain, from which shape it gets its name, means you have to be a little way away to take in the magnificence of it all. The fragility of man’s creation in the towering buildings framed against the resolute sturdiness of natural environment.

As we got into Cape Town in the morning from sea, having come around the cape from the Indian Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean by night, the mountain from out at sea lay covered by fuzzy-looking cloud.

The taller buildings in the city falling short of reaching the clouds that comfortably covered the upper reaches of Table Mountain.

I found myself wishing a breeze would lift away this veil and uncover the shy monstrosity, even for  a brief moment. And my prayers were answered as the clouds lifted slowly, almost like a veil off a shy bride — hesitant at first, then quietly floated away. For a brief moment in the early morning, Table Mountain lay before our eyes.

For  a long time, I had heard about Table Mountain and here it was before my eyes. Beneath its crest lies the city. From far, with the voices that accompany this setting muted by the crashing waves, it almost looked like an oil painting, fragile yet inviting to touch.

Once on the ground and enroute to our hotel, it was time to take in the sites of a city getting up, drowsily shaking itself awake. Luckily, in our group we had one of our South African hostesses, and a running commentary on the state of Cape Town was more than welcome.

Waterfront

Driving along the waterfront in this city is an experience in itself. Forget about fancy places, for  a visitor here, a walk — or a drive — down the water front is an experience in itself. The setting of the city means that there is  a major thoroughfare right on the waters’ edge.

From here, we could see out to the deceptively calm sky blue waters that only hours before had tossed and buffeted against the hull of our ship.

Driving away from the port with the sea on your right and Table Mountain on our left was quite an experience, apart from of course the indecision over which side to focus my attention.

The city’s evident affluence sets it apart from many cities on the continent, from flowing traffic to a quite ambience, not to mention the juggernauts on the road.

Lion’s Head

Towering above the city slightly apart from the flat-topped Table Mountain is Lion’s Head, a mountain which gets its name from its shape; like a lion’s head, or so our hostess claimed.

From where we were it was a little difficult to make out the lion’s head, unless of course, South African lions are different from Kenya’s.

It is sandwiched between Table Mountain and Signal Hill, also known as Lion’s Rump, quite the whole lion.

A good number of luxurious hotel dot the waterfront in Cape Town. The hotel where we were putting up was also on this end. The Radisson Blu.

Luckily, I had  an ocean-facing window, though most of what I could see were small boats parked on the edge of the waters. For a minute, I longed for that life; a small boat by the sea, a house with the waves lapping at its foundation, but then again maybe it was the lethargy doing the thinking.

Cape Town Stadium

The positioning here was a plus. The hotel had a beautiful looking infinity pool, which yours truly could only enjoy from a reclining chair and soak in the sun for a while.

Not far from the hotel is the Cape Town Stadium. This is another legacy from the 2010 Fifa World Cup, with the stadium completed in 2009, replacing the Green Point Stadium which, was here before.

During the World Cup, the stadium hosted eight matches, including one quarter-final (Germany versus Argentina) and one semi-final (Uruguay versus Netherlands).

Basking in its after World Cup glory, it is now one of the most visible structures in the city. From a vantage position, the curve of the stadium is unmistakable and whenever I went past the stadium, I could not help but feel dwarfed in every sense of the word. It is worlds apart from Nyayo Stadium.

The stadium also features in a scene in Safe House, a 2012 action thriller film starring Denzel Washington, underlying South Africa’s growing stature in the making and setting of international films.

I also discovered it was an easy beacon whenever I was headed back to the hotel. Once I hit the stadium, I was home, so to speak.

Politics

Another thing that has fascinated the world about South Africa is her politics. From Nelson Mandela to Jacob Zuma. While the country holds Mandela, whom, they fondly refer to as Madiba, you get a sense that their feelings towards current President Zuma is a little different.

Riding in a cab, I could not help but prod the driver over the people’s, or rather his, take on the battles between Zuma and the firebrand youth politician, Julius Malema.

You quickly get the feeling that Malema’s message resonates with the ‘small’ people, but as the cabbie says dismissively, his way of putting the message across has not earned him any favours.

I always find that the easiest way to get the pulse of a place is by talking to taxi drivers, and they are easily the first people you come into contact with in a foreign city.

They are like your barman, quick on the tongue with an opinion on anything and everything. But behind the chaff you can quickly learn about the workings of a city from its cab drivers. The economy, politics, affordable hotels and nightlife spots. Name it, and the cabbie will give it to you.

Away from the politics of survival in strange cities, Jazz lovers will remember that Cape Town hosts the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, now fast approaching.

It is during this year’s festival that I got to hear South African music heartthrob Zahara perform, and promptly fell in love with her music, even though I can hardly understand most of what she sings about in Xhosa, a South African language.