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Office 9, First floor, Main Terminal Building. Lanseria International Airport. 24/7: +27 83 270 8886
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The difference is... We are
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Contents Destination Aviation
Magical Musicians
p.53
p.75
From Armstrong
The Beautiful Thing;
to Mindstrong
Theo Kgosinkwe
p.129 King Lear of The Skies – Challenger 600 Series
p.143 Seduced by The Skies
p.154 United Aviation Group Hangar & Maintenance
p.171 United Charter PullOut Playing Cards
Getting Down To Business p.19 (S)African Mavericks
p.107 The Beautiful Business of Botswana
Let’s Get Lost
p.135
p.39
Covid-19 & the Air Ambulance Boom
Cape to Cuba
p.57 Meet Me in Naples
p.91 Soul Safari
p.101 Women in Africa
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CONTENTS | 04
Fabulous Fashion p.31 Rainbow Nation
For The Love Of Food p.81 A Taste of History; Corton-Charlemagne
p.87 Juniper Juice
Key To Adventure Magnificent Motors p.115
p.187 The Key to Your Travel Dreams Fulfilled
The Finest Duet; Porsche Meets Embraer
p.121 A Little Sexy in Your SUV
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Why not buy a ‘Time Machine’ ...? TIME. IT’S OUR MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY.
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 03
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A commodity that we are all encouraged to spend or use wisely. One that we never seem to have enough of no matter what structures we put in place. So what if we said that we can give you back some of your time, can in fact help you buy time, so to speak. But buying time... isn’t that impossible? When it comes to travelling though, it is entirely possible to buy back time, or at the very least put you back in control of the time you spend – the time you waste and the time you invest. In that context, our United Aviation Group aircraft can be considered ‘time machines’. Commercial airlines with their set routes and laborious airport check-in procedures still present many drawbacks for those who value their time and wish to be e cient time travellers
CONSIDER THIS: •
Do you often travel at short notice?
•
Do you need to travel to places that are not served by commercial airlines?
•
Do you have multi-city/country business interests, or business interests that are far away from major airports?
•
Do you need to work without interruptions when you travel?
•
Do you want more time to spend with your loved ones?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above, then private aircraft ownership may just be a good fit for you Your time machine may come in di erent forms or e ample, it may be a helicopter that whisks you away to your project locations, halving your travel time by road, leaving you more time to focus on your core business, while still being able to return home the same day, thus doing away with the need to stay in hotels. Your ‘time machine’ could also come in the form of a private jet, allowing you to travel with speed and greater e ciency to multi-city or country destinations Perhaps your ‘time machine’ is a robust turboprop aircraft that can land on the grass or gravel airfield at a farm, mine, or rural town certainly not places commercial airlines are able to serve. So, if you want to be in control of your time when you travel, why not buy a ‘time machine’ of your very own? Speak to one of our ‘time machine’ experts at United Aircraft Sales about the perfect aircraft to suit your requirements today.
LET YOUR DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT
Office 9, First floor, Main Terminal Building, Lanseria International Airport 24/7: +27 83 270 8886 t:+27 11 788 0813 f:+27 11 507 6814 e: info@unitedaircraftsales.com w: www.unitedaircraftsales.com
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e o u s f Uni s i y r ve we say it’s the best one ted M e In yet, so I forgive your scepticism when av
ick er
I begin by saying, yet again, that I honestly feel United Maverick, 4th Edition, ‘Key to Adventure and Flights of Fancy’, is the finest edition to date! We have journeyed across the continent in search of experiences, articles, and creative thinkers and writers that truly represent this magical land of ours, and we are astounded at the breadth and depth of talent that Africa has to offer, and so grateful that we get to highlight this talent for you, our reader, through this beautifully crafted book. In your hands you hold a guide to the Africa that we love. This is the Africa that celebrates our cultural heritage as well as our future (see All That Glitters). It is the Africa that revels in our innovation and business acumen (see African Mavericks), and the Africa that rejoices in unapologetic beauty (see Glimmer). It is an Africa that loves to savour its food, experimenting with a hybrid of tradition and science (Africa On The Menu), and an Africa that luxuriates in unexpectedly beautiful travel (Soul Safari). In this edition of United Maverick we take you to a number of countries including Uganda and Kenya. We also spent a week in Botswana and managed to find you some gems to include on your next visit to this most beautiful country. It is challenging to talk of Africa without descending into weepy sentimentality. So we will leave you with this. The next time you disembark in Africa from your United Charter flight, remember that this is an Africa of many facets. It’s a kaleidoscope just waiting to be explored, to surprise and excite you. It is a place where adventure is to be found in unexpected and delightful places. This is our Africa. And we are United.
Lo v
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WE ARE UNITED | 10
Dear Passenger, n behalf of all the staff and management at United Charter Aviation Group, we wish you a warm welcome to the 4th Edition of our publication, United Maverick . In this bigger, bumper edition of our beautiful production you can expect to uncover the secrets to travelling to Italy and why it’s one of the most beautiful countries in which to find your soul – or lose your waistline. You can climb the Himalayas with our team or get lost in some of the most beautiful imagery you might ever come across in a publication. Our writers, illustrators, and photographers once again take you on a journey across the African continent where we highlight the stories, talents and opportunities that are to be found in such abundance across this enormous continent and its incredible communities. Although post 2020 we have seen and experienced seismic shifts in how the world works, travels, and functions, United Aviation Group has been able to contribute positively to our clients as they dealt with the changes. As one of the exclusive Air Ambulance service providers to International SOS for the Sub-Saharan Africa region, we have invested heavily in ensuring world-class care for those we carry and their families. Our Air Ambulance division has expanded to two fully staffed offices, one based in Johannesburg and one in Accra, Ghana, and both of course functioning at the highest level of operational excellence, thus allowing International SOS in turn to
S 25° 56’ 06.00”
E 027° 55’ 32.38”
Elevation 1,372m
provide excellent critical care to its patients. Back on South African soil, we launched our United Aviation Group Hangar at Lanseria International Airport and our United Aviation Maintenance division is hard at work on several international government and private sector maintenance contracts that have been secured over the last few years. The UAG reputation has however preceded us, and despite only having launched our hangar in 2020, our expansion is already underway with plans to more than double the size of our hangars to handle the larger business jets such as the Dassault Falcons which are part of our maintenance contract offerings. In 2021 one of our sister companies, Owenair, celebrates 75 years of aviation excellence! As one of the oldest operating commercial aircraft companies in the world (having been launched in 1946 by Col. Owen Glynn Davies), this is an auspicious milestone for a company with as much gravitas as Owenair. In its time it has offered most services related to aviation, from aircraft maintenance to flight lessons, air ambulance services, charter services and even delivery services (the urgent wedding dress delivery comes to mind!). With a pedigree like this we consider it a great honour to be the caretakers of this brand and continue to invest into Owenair to ensure the legacy is continued. We wish you a pleasant journey through this edition of United Maverick, with blue skies and safe travels. Our Warm Regards,
hief E ecutive cer United Charter Services Group
Managing Director United Charter Services Group
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Once upon a time in a land far, far away, while eating cake with giants, I had an idea... I needed to introduce the world to my Africa. As a photographer driven by magic, fuelled by flowers and dreams, and known as the "Queen of Colour" I wanted the world to meet the Africa I love.
Chosen as one of nine photographers by the world renowned Museum of Art and Cultural History Schloss Gottorf in Schleswig-Holstein to participate in the humanitarian project for Saatkultur* representing the creative art of photography. Hand picked by the secretary-general of the United Nations as one of 10 photographers worldwide to represent fashion photography in a campaign for vaccine equality for the United Nations Human Rights Commission. Presented to world leaders in Geneva and reported on Sky News and The Times. Three projects featured in the official Pantone 2020/2021 colour trend book, including inspiring a new Pantone colour called Afro Black. Nikon Top 100 Global Photographer for three years running.
Ingrid Irsigler
info@ingridalice.co.za @ingridalicephotography www.ingridalice.co.za
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ADVENTURES IN DUSTYLAND FAIRYTALES
Ingrid’s work has been featured and published
w
interviewed for publications such as the German design journal Page Magazine, the French publication Fubitz, the publishing house Hermann Schmidt Maine
a
Phoblographer. Ingrid is also a frequent contributor and cover feature photographer of the iconic London-based Hedonist magazine, and is recognised as one of
A
faces on the continent including Minnie Dlamini, Sylvester Chauke, Mel Bala, Jessica Nkosi, Bonang Matheba and the iconic Noxolo Grootboom.
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worldwide and she is also the first South African photographer to have been and a number of publications in the USA including the industry leader NYC Africa's top portrait photographers, having shot some of the most famous
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UNITED
MAVERICK TEAM Ingrid Irsigler United Maverick Creative Director
Ingrid is a creative whirlwind, and a woman who wears many colourful hats! Creative director, conceptualiser, international award-winning fashion and beauty photographer, Ingrid has her feet firmly on the ground and her aesthetic in Wonderland. Her distinct visionary style of colourful, bold storytelling and whimsical imagery has adorned magazine covers, editorials and campaigns all over the world. Her work has been lauded across Africa, in London, New York, and other parts of the globe. Ingrid is a passionate advocate for African creatives and travels all over the continent giving seminars, mentoring, and teaching her craft. When not conjuring up new magical projects she can be found drinking copious amounts of tea, riding her beautiful mare, or running her wolfish pack of dogs through the forests in Cape Town. Facebook: @IngridIrsigler • LinkedIn: @ingridalice • Instagram: @ingridalicephotography • Behance: @ingridirsigler • Websites: www.ingridalice.co.za/ www.ingridirsigler.com
Kay van Niekerk
United Maverick Image Retoucher
She may be the proud owner of Qpix Evolution, a high-end retouching and brand design company, but Kay is still a child at heart! She cherishes this because she believes it keeps her open to new experiences and allows her to experience the world in a joyous and adventurous way! As one of South Africa’s premier creative talents, Kay delights in the beauty of small things and this includes the lizards, loeries, pigeons, and English bulldogs she shares with her partner at her home in Johannesburg. With a Roxette anthem playing unashamedly in the background, Kay is always campaigning to make the world a kinder, nicer place where humans support each other and learn to thrive together. Instagram: @qpix.evolution / @retouch.by.kay • Facebook: @qpixevolution • Behance: @ KvanNiekerk • Website: www.qpix.co.za
Ryan Hing
United Maverick Stylist
Ryan is a fashion and creative director who runs a production agency called Evolve in Johannesburg, South Africa. A mindful, energetic, and enthusiastic creative, Ryan delivers high-end stills and video work, mainly focused on fashion and conceptual creativity, though he often combines the two to create art that reflects the broad spectrum of the South African creative industry. Ryan allows his life experiences and humbleness to draw in personal friends and positive working relationships. His life motto is to “get rich or die trying” but not in a financial sense – rather in his mind, body and soul. Instagram: @evolve_keepchanging / @ryanhing011 • Facebook: @RyanHing
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MEET THE TEAM | 18
Philippa Rose-Tite United Maverick Editor
It’s sometimes hard to button down exactly what Philippa does. A wordsmith, editor, marketing magus, project manager, scrummaster, business owner, speaker, and eternal student. What can’t be denied is the great energy she brings to every encounter. After a lengthy career working for the big guns in the IT sector, Philippa launched Purple Raindrop in 2013 and has been consulting with clients in the marketing and project management space ever since. Although she works with clients all over the world, Philippa’s heart belongs to Africa and she dedicates considerable time not only to travelling on the continent but also to working in different African countries, helping to grow skills and develop knowledge in her specific areas. Though her two sons are convinced she loves her Rottweilers more than them, she swears it isn’t so, though she would like to point out that the dogs didn’t bugger off to study and play rugby in the USA. Facebook: @PurpleRaindrop • Twitter: @purplraindrop • LinkedIn: @purple-raindrop/@PhilippaRoseTite • Instagram: @purpleraindropza/ @PhilippaRoseTite • Website: www.purpleraindrop.co.za
Rob Rose United Maverick Writer
Rob Rose is the editor of Johannesburg’s Financial Mail and has been writing about South Africa and Africa’s business sector for two decades, while working on his cricket game on the side. As the author of two business books – Steinheist, an investigation of the epic trans-continental fraud perpetrated by retailer Steinhoff, and the Grand Scam, which exposed a $2bn Ponzi scheme – he has a keen sense of the economic fault lines in our society. He was less successful as a lawyer – after barely two weeks of serving articles, he scarpered for the bright (yet sometimes murky) lights of journalism instead. Rob’s found his other calling in fatherhood where he is often dumbfounded that his two sons have the same audacity he did as a youngster.
Shaun Mallett
United Maverick Layout Artist
A former award-winning creative director and fervent antagonist of adulthood and perfection, Shaun has a passion for creating colourful and energetic images. He can occasionally be persuaded to work on projects as beautiful and unusual as United Maverick, though prefers to spend his time doing stunning things as a photographer and playing with fire under an African night sky while listening to The Beatles. He lives with his wife, son and their four-legged menagerie in Johannesburg, South Africa, and campaigns quietly for humanity to think bigger. Facebook: @ shaunmallettphotography • Instagram: @shaunmallettphotography • Website: www.shaunmallett.com
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AFRICAN MAVERICKS by Jeremy Gordin
Jonathan cut the ribbon on United Charter Services, launching it at a time when the market was pretty much limited to just a few members of the old order. Now the company is one of the largest charter brokers in Africa, with a loyal customer base and a vast network of aircraft operators. UCS can provide solutions for the most complex of travel requirements owing to a vast network of contacts and an ability to think outside the box. UCS takes ownership of each and every flight that is arranged, from the provision of on-board VIP catering to personally seeing out and greeting all flights.
JONATHAN
WOLPE
Again, one wouldn’t expect anything else. A qualified pilot, Jonathan fully understands both the technical and business aspects of running a successful aircraft charter and management company, and has put that knowledge to excellent use growing UCS into a multi-dimensional company, offering varied services from executive and VIP transport to cargo transport and aircraft management services. Jonathan put this in place in 2008 by purchasing an aircraftoperating business so as to provide clients with medium-to long-
Someone once said that 40-year-old Jonathan Wolpe can sometimes
range and ultra-long-range executive business jet transportation:
be ‘a bit, er, difficult’ ... More about this alleged ‘difficultness’ down
Owenair, which has a pedigree based on more than seven
below, but for the moment this: We wouldn’t expect anything less
decades of success.
from a maverick, someone’s who’s unconventional and independent and doesn’t think or behave in ways that most people expect. Who else would have wanted to fly an airplane ever since he was old enough to do so? Who else would have been willing to take entrepreneurial risks at which most of us would have baulked? What
That’s not all. Jonathan has also secured the exclusive Air Ambulance service provider rights to International SOS and Air Rescue Africa for, but not limited to, the SubSaharan African Region. ‘Point is,’ says Jonathan, ‘we believe in excellence.
other sort of person would have been, at a relatively tender age, the
Whether it’s our aircraft, our people or our service, excellence
owner of United Charter Services and Owenair?
has been inculcated into every fibre of our operation. It is for this
Jonathan harnessed his passion at a very early age and spent most
reason alone that we are the trusted aviation partners to so many
of his waking moments dedicating himself to that passion: aviation.
individuals, companies, governments and even air-ambulance
For Jonathan there was never any other option. In February 2000,
service providers.
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GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS | 20
‘For us excellence isn’t just a word in a book. It’s the attention to detail for every flight. It’s our position of never compromising on safety. It’s the small things that make our guests comfortable on our flights. In fact it’s the entire United Charter service experience.’ Finally, about that ‘difficultness’. Some years ago, there was a little coffee shop about to close down just a few days before Christmas. Jonathan had been a regular there since his teen years and had a great affection for the place. The coffee shop’s staff didn’t know that within a few days they’d be unemployed – and for some it was the only job they’d ever had – and having to face their families, during what should be the most joyous time of the year, with heartbreaking news. Jonathan, a maverick, stepped in. The rest is history.
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LUDWICK
MARISHANE
changing the world. Originally, Ludwick thought his product would find a market for those who did not have the time to bath, or wanted to save on water or electricity costs, particularly black South Africans. However, his research found
When 28-year-old Ludwick Marishane was
money to create a sample of his product to
that people had a psychological attachment
17, he had a buddy who was too lazy to bath
see if it worked.
to bathing because of their socio-economic
or shower. Ludwick wasn’t so keen himself.
“It didn’t work as well as I thought,” he
backgrounds i.e. there was a perception that
Not surprising – given that both lived in rural
said. His gel removed body odour but then,
a hot water bath showed a progression in
Limpopo where, if you wanted a nice, hot bath
after drying, looked pretty unsightly. He
economic status.. But DryBath has found a
or shower, first there had to be water available
approached Dr Hennie du Plessis, a chemical
profitable market among those participating
and then you needed to heat the water and
engineer with experience in developing
in outdoor activities such as camping,
pour it over yourself - or have someone else
personal care products, who improved the
travelling and attending festivals, and
do it – with the help of a jug.
formula and resolved the problems. Du Plessis
currently exports 90% of its product overseas,
is now a shareholder and product manager
mostly to Europe and the US.
A light bulb lit up in Ludwick’s head. What if you could clean yourself without
of Ludwick’s Headboy Industries, which
bathing – without water?
produces DryBath.
Before he’d finished high school, he
In 2011, Ludwick was selected as one
Bottom line, however, is that Ludwick Marishane, a maverick par excellence, has developed a no-water cleansing gel that is
had penned a business plan and patented
of the finalists for the Anzisha Prize, a
antibacterial and biodegradable. For rural
a formula for a waterless gel. Ludwick
competition that recognises African
residents of his native South Africa, and for
received a scholarship to study at UCT
entrepreneurs aged 15-22 who are trying to
2.5 billion people worldwide who do not
where he continued developing his idea.
solve problems in their communities and in
have access to clean water, DryBath makes a
His business plan won third place in
2013 Time magazine named him as one of its
world of difference—and it’s a quick, no-fuss
a competition and he used the prize
top 30 people under the age of 30 who are
solution for suburbanites, too.
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GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS | 22
JAMES
ROBERTSON & PHILIP CRONJE ‘Ars longa, vita brevis,’ ‘art is long, life is short,’ are the wise words attributed to
always gone their own way. Think about it. Philip and James have
seemingly unrelated to clothes but inspiring for business. They also have chosen to experiment – to test quietly their own ideas, whatever the claims of others or of received wisdom. Think about Big Blue’s quirky retro-kitsch stores, with their Afrikaans museum flavour, and the combination of retro-kitsch and always having interesting gifts on offer – very different from big brand retailers and most boutique clothing stores.
Greek physician Hippocrates. To which we
opted to work mainly with local designers and
might perhaps add: ‘Whether life is short or
manufacturers instead of importing cheaper
And they’ve grown from a single pop-up
long, there are many different ways to be a
fabrics. They use locally milled and recycled
shop at a flea market to more than 22 stores
maverick entrepreneur’.
fabrics and support craft groups such as the
nationwide – but without using outside
Hillcrest Aids Project, Diepsloot Crafters and
capital. Instead, they have funded from
the Topsy Foundation.
internal profits. By all accounts James and
Consider. Besides being a major success story, Big Blue is doubtless one of South Africa’s most distinctive retailers and also one of the country’s largest T-shirt merchants. How James Robertson and Philip Cronje,
James and Philip are not big fans of business books or self-help guides. Instead
cars and mortgaging their houses to fund
they’re avid students of the University of Life.
working capital and their new stores.
Big Blue’s co-founders and owners, achieved
This means, among other things, reading
this is a maverick story – but a quiet, subtle
all kinds of books for ideas and talking to as
one. James and Philip have not done bizarre
many diverse people as possible. They’re
or out-of the-box things but have certainly
dot-connecters, using ideas from sectors
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Philip live frugal lives, driving second-hand
A remarkable story and, as we said, there’re many different ways to be a maverick.
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SIYA
XUZA
Scientist Siya Xuza (29) is a star. Literally. Asteroid 23182 Siyaxuza, discovered by astronomers in 2000, in the main asteroid belt near Jupiter, was named after Siya in 2007. Siya was born in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, and attended St. John’s College in Johannesburg. Clearly a born innovator, Siya began experimenting with rocket fuels in his mother’s kitchen. This passion turned into a serious science project that culminated in him developing a cheaper and safer rocket fuel. In 2007, his homemade rocket fuel won a prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and a scholarship to Harvard University, where he became an energy-engineering student with a passion for harnessing the power of the sun for clean affordable energy, researching the manufacture of making cheaper solar cells and working on the commercial viability of solar technologies. In 2010 he was elected as a fellow of the African Leadership Network, a network of those individuals poised to shape Africa’s future over the following 10-20 years – the most dynamic and influential leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa and its diaspora. Siya travelled to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to engage in discussions on creating prosperity for Africa. In 2011 he became a fellow of the Kairos Society, a global network of top student and global leaders using entrepreneurship and innovation to try to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Siya was also invited to the United Nations and the New York Stock Exchange in recognition for being one of the world’s emerging business leaders and to offer strategies for solving the world’s energy crisis. And needless to say, perhaps, this year he was awarded The Order of Mapungubwe in Silver. Siya is the founder and managing director of Galactic Energy Ventures, a company that is developing the next generation of advanced energy storage technologies. But Siya, being a maverick, is also an accomplished isiXhosa praise singer and in 2003 performed a praise song for Nelson Mandela. As he said once: ‘I may not be able to predict what the future holds. But I am excited at how my engineering education will enable me to achieve my aspirations for Africa. My mother told me that even if a planet is named after you…you should always remain down to earth.’
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DINEO
LIOMA
She has only recently passed the tender age of 30. No matter – clearly Dineo Loma has packed six decades of energy and achievement into just three.
Dineo is a scientist and astute businessperson, who’s founded or been a moving spirit in the founding of three medical/scientific companies. Given her contributions to the world of business, Dineo has not only been chosen as one of Forbes Africa’s Top 20 Wealth Creators, but also made it to the Mail & Guardian’s list of influential young South Africans. What drives her is a strong belief in creating solutions for African healthcare, coupled with the desire to benchmark products against the best in the market and to tap into the commercial side of science. These issues clicked into place for her when studying towards her MPhil degree in microtechnology and nanotechnology at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. “I really saw how powerful science can be to change the world. I got an offer to do a PhD there, but I thought to come home and impact South Africa. I’ve seen how universities and business can work together,” Dineo says. She returned home after finishing her MPhil in 2015 and founded Deep Medical Therapeutics, which leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in the medical field. Certain diseases, such as
Dineo and her co-founder mine genetic information from nature and
tuberculosis, can become drug resistant – and the core aim of Deep
create reagents (a substance used during a chemical reaction) to cut,
Medical Therapeutics is to help doctors “build” and deploy AI solutions
clone, or manipulate DNA. The products are mainly used in pathology
that make it possible for them to treat antimicrobial resistance. Dineo
labs and the company relies on biodiversity hotspots, such as the
initially presented the concept to IBM, which helped the fledgling
Western Cape, for sourcing material.
company develop a software platform that would - among other things help to build Africa’s largest genomic databank. Part of her thinking was to reduce the time people spend waiting for
“South Africa currently imports all reagent enzymes, and it’s exciting that there will be locally developed products,” says Dineo. Then came Covid-19 – and Dineo and fellow biotech scientist
results to come back from a laboratory, because during that time illness
Daniel Ndima started work on creating a Covid-19 diagnostic kit,
can get much worse. Dineo’s aim was to have a turnaround time of not
qPCR, that can deliver results in 65 minutes. Testing is critical in
more than 48 hours, thus enabling on-site diagnosis.
the fight against the spread of coronavirus but, usually, a test takes
Dineo also involved herself with Incitech in the development of a
three hours to produce results. Dineo and Daniel decided to expedite
MicroPatch, a patented, self-contained rapid-diagnosis HIV kit that
and upscale local manufacture of these kits to ensure there’d be no
simplifies testing and disposal for both clinicians and home users.
shortages either in South Africa or the rest of the continent. Their
Incredibly however, that’s not all. Dineo helps manage CapeBio Technologies, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research spin-off, that sources, develops, and manufactures molecular biology reagents, enzymes, and kits sourced from indigenous African microbial hotspots.
African Mavericks v2.indd 8
fight would be hard, they knew, because of SA’s heavy reliance on imported biotechnology products. But a Maverick mover like Dineo always fights hard – and knows there’s precious little time for catching a nap.
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GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS | 26
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BRIAN
JOFFE
Brian Joffe was a millionaire by the age of 32, and is a proverbial legend in his own lunch time.
So what’s the entrepreneur and founder of Bidvest (employer of upwards
of 137 000 people and with recent headline earnings of R4, 1-billion) doing here, among a bunch of mavericks? In any case, some might point out, Brian left Bidvest completely in 2017 and has listed a new JSE investment company called Long4Life. Well, that’s precisely the point. You can’t keep a real maverick away from the fray: a maverick remains a maverick even if he’s ‘made it’. Brian grew up in Greenside, Johannesburg. Talking of which, about six years ago, he was invited to a prize-giving at Greenside High and, as Sukasha Singh, aunt of one of the pupils receiving a prize, wrote in the Mail & Guardian: “’Where are all the other kids tonight? The stupid kids?’ Brian asked no one in particular. One of the teachers on stage quietly reminded him that this was an academic awards event. ‘Pity,’ he replied. ‘Because we were all stupid when we went to Greenside and we didn’t turn out so bad. Just shows. If you battle at school, your future will be very bright’.” Yes, Brian learned his smarts not at business school, but the maverick way. He earned his pocket money, so the stories go, by packing birdseed for the small grain and milling business his father ran and by counting tablets in his uncle’s pharmacy. Above all, as he remarked on eNCA TV recently, he learned about business by listening in at the dinner table. ‘Best advice I ever heard,’ Brian said. He qualified as a CA at Wits – you’ve heard of Bidvest Wits F.C., right? – and his entrepreneurial career began in 1978 when he borrowed R49 000 and bought half of a small pet food manufacturing company. A year later, he borrowed again, acquired full ownership of the business and expanded it. Using mostly discarded machinery on a makeshift production line, with his wife Lee operating an old forklift, Brian grew the business so that within six months, it held a 15% share of the canned dog food market. He sold the company and subsequently made his first million at the age of 32. But he went to live in the US. Why? He loved sports more than anything else and wanted to play golf for a while. Brian then returned to South Africa and was employed in several senior executive positions before founding
JONAH
NAIDOO
I went down, I went down – not (like the blues singer) to
the Bid Corporation in 1988. From the R8-million in start-up capital from
St. James infirmary – but to the Dry Dock in Parkhurst,
Investec and the acquisition of Chipkins in 1988, Brian built the trading and
Johannesburg. And I came back...
distribution company that is now the mighty Bidvest Group. What Brian has done time and time again has been to see the value in failing
I’m not sure when precisely I returned home. Although I had gone to study the burgeoning artisanal gin market –
companies – ‘the apparently good ones are always too expensive,’ he also
which, as a conscientious investigative journalist, I did in
quipped on TV recently – and it’s the apparently dying businesses acquired
some detail, and although I generally eschew white wines
by Bidvest that have been transformed into industry leaders through an
and beer – I felt duty-bound to test a new local Chenin Blanc,
‘empowered business model’ driven by largely autonomous entrepreneurs.
a new local Grenache, a local IPA (India pale ale), some
And what’s that fancy ‘empowered business model’? Part of it, as Brian has
powerful new blended Japanese whisky, and who-knows-
remarked, is: ‘We try to instil a concept of “return on funds employed,” which
precisely-what-else besides. By the way, one of the local gins
is called “ROFE for Joffe” so that everybody in the organisation knows what
I sampled was Autograph, which, on the evening of the day
the impact is of what they do on the total. We allocate capital, notionally, in
I tasted it, won the Michelangelo International 2018 award
a way to everybody in our group, so that a tea lady for example has teabags
for the best craft gin; the judges must have read my mind.
as assets. Now, even though they may be useable assets, and teabags only, in
My bibulous showing-off is by way of telling you three
an organisation where you have 140 thousand teabags, this will have some
things. First, the Dry Dock is anything but dry. Au contraire.
impact. And the tea lady knows this.’
Second, the people who hang out there are among the
ROFE for Joffe and heading back to Johannesburg’s big board aged 71. That’s the maverick way.
African Mavericks v2.indd 10
most generous folk you’ll ever meet – with their advice (on everything from artisanal gin to Chenin Blanc), their
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GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS | 28
pouring-wrists, and the proprietors’ wares. Third, and most important, is that one of the two proprietors is the youthful-looking 48-year-old Jonah Naidoo. He hails from KwaZuluNatal and is himself busier than the Durban beachfront on Christmas Day. At the Dry Dock, he is everywhere, as they say: giving advice, making sure everyone who steps into the boutique liquor store feels like a VVIP (i.e. ensuring everyone has a glass of something in his or her hand), and operating the hi-tech cash register if needs be. ‘Thing is,’ said Jonah, ‘we – my partner Martin Pienaar and I – we really wanted to create a focused liquor boutique by offering the best, the most cutting-edge liquor, to our kind of clientele, the Parkhurstites, by tasting different products, holding regular tastings and events with winemakers, gin distillers, industry folk, holding cocktail hours, and supporting emerging craft merchants. ‘This is our passion. It’s not always easy. Retail is tough and liquor retail can be especially tough. We can’t order in the same kind of volume as a supermarket can – but we try to make up for that, and hopefully do, in terms of our passion, commitment, marketing and interest.’ Jonah also mentions that special effort goes into ensuring that staff are as knowledgeable as the owners about what’s being sold – and notes that he and Martin are zealous about helping to ignite employment growth and especially youth employment. This is not surprising. It turns out that Jonah and Martin are founders of Mindworx, launched in 2006 as a niche consultancy providing a range of advisory services and which has now evolved into a multi-service organisation with a particular emphasis on technical skills for financial services businesses and with a training academy. ‘What we do is train and, and put into employment, the best and most talented of the marginalised,’ said Jonah. ‘The academy with which we’re connected is aimed at providing recent graduates with skills training. The kinds of things we teach are robotics process automation, data/business analytics, industrial engineering, and many more of the skills people need in the 21st century.’ So: which pursuit – fighting the country’s lack of skills or being at the helm of Dry Dock – is the most important in Jonah’s life? A true maverick, trying to do things differently and remarkably in the society, will never say which – because both are important. He’ll just offer you a tincture of the latest, artisanal gin while simultaneously e-mailing you Mindworx’s latest brochures.
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What is one cooking tool that you will find in a Ugandan refugee camp as well as in Meghan Markle’s kitchen?
The Wonderbag is estimated to save up to 30% of the fuel costs associated with cooking with, for example, kerosene (paraffin). This
A Wonderbag of course! … A stand-alone, non-electric, heavily
translates into a dramatic decrease in the need for fuel and therefore
insulated container that reduces the amount of fuel needed for cooking
less chopping down of trees (it’s been estimated that The Wonderbag,
– designed by Durban entrepreneur Sarah Collins of Natural Balance,
used three times a week, reduces carbon dioxide emissions
along with activist Moshy Mathe.
by up to half a ton per year) and it also dramatically
Wonderbag allows you to slow-cook food without using electricity,
frees up time for those who collect the fuel –
and the bag not only looks beautiful, but offers multiple advantages
traditionally women and girls. Time that can
through simple innovation to lower-income families. After boiling a
then be spent on school or other money-
pot of food on a stove or fire, the pot is put into the Wonderbag, which
making endeavours.
retains heat for up to 12 hours (good ol’ thermal insulation), so the meal can continue to cook throughout the day without the use of power.
SARAH
COLLINS
Millions of Wonderbags are in action throughout South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, and refugee camps in the Middle East. Manufactured at a factory in Tongaat, they’re distributed to various outlets. The bags are also sold online and in their own communities via Wonderpreneurs, enabling them to improve their own lives and those in their respective communities. Sarah has also arranged corporate sponsorship of thousands of bags in exchange for climate credits – a transaction that’s suited big names like Pfizer and Unilever who have been able to go into communities to arrange vaccination clinics and community cooking festivals as part of their outreach. But back to Sarah, whose energy and drive could just leave you wondering what on earth you’ve been doing with your time. Founder of Natural Balance Global, aka Wonderbag, Sarah grew up in rural, apartheid-era SA in the 1970s. Raised by a Zulu helper (the language she spoke as a child and in which she’s still fluent today), Sarah says she has always been rebellious. ‘I wouldn’t accept the status quo and couldn’t stand the striking inequality I saw around me’. Her childhood thus inspired her to focus on empowering women living below the poverty line, via grassroots efforts. For a while, after her formal education was completed, she launched a horseback riding safari business in Botswana. But since then, she has devoted her life to community projects. ‘My career has seen me run for political office, set up my own NGO, and help local communities create thriving businesses to support themselves. ‘It’s a proverbial no-brainer,’ says Sarah. ‘Three billion people cook on open flames every day, which is killing them at the same time as feeding them. Deforestation and charcoal trafficking are at their worst, with people like outgoing US president Trump trying to downplay global warming and climate change. The number of girls in Africa raped while collecting firewood is
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increasing every year. Fuel for cooking is running out in Africa.’ And during the past year, there has been the horror of the effects
as humanitarian products,’ says Sarah. As for herself, Sarah says she has never had a rulebook. Things can,
of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially hunger. ‘As we move into a
and have been, exhausting and relentless at times, but she is adamant
new stage of lockdowns, I am trying to get heat-retention cooking
that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the fruits of hard
listed as an essential service – it’s a means of helping fellow citizens
labour pay off. She has always trusted her gut and believed in herself.
to eat. If the contagion worsens – and it looks as though it is –
‘I was told so many times that Wonderbag would fail or that I wouldn’t
starving people will not be equipped to survive it. I am speaking on
have the courage to take it into the marketplace. But I look at what
behalf of all those who have innovations that can be regarded
Wonderbag has done for Africa – and this is what matters to me.’
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“WE ENTER INTO A COVENANT THAT WE SHALL BUILD A SOCIETY IN WHICH ALL SOUTH AFRICANS, BOTH BLACK AND WHITE, WILL BE ABLE TO WALK TALL, WITHOUT FEAR IN THEIR HEARTS, ASSURED OF THEIR INALIENABLE RIGHT TO HUMAN DIGNITY”. Nelson Mandela
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occurrence which, in its remembering, should teach us not and never to be inhuman again. I am formed of the migrants who left Europe to find a new home on our native land. Whatever their own actions, they remain still, part of me. In my veins courses the blood of the Malay slaves who came from the East. Their proud dignity
I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the
essence. The stripes they bore on their bodies from
trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing
the lash of the slave master are a reminder embossed
seasons that define the face of our native land.
on my consciousness of what should not be done.
My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter
I am the grandchild of the warrior men and
day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our
women that Hintsa and Sekhukhune led, the patriots
sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun.
that Cetshwayo and Mphephu took to battle, the
The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blooms of the citizens The dramatic shapes of the Drakensberg, the soilcoloured waters of the Lekoa, iGqili noThukela, and the sands of the Kgalagadi, have all been panels of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the A human presence among all these, a feature on the face of our native land thus defined, I know that none dare challenge me when I say - I am an African! I owe my being to the Khoi and the San whose desolate souls haunt the great expanses of the
struggle to defend our freedom and dependence and Today, as a country, we keep an audible silence
I am the grandchild who lays fresh flowers on the Boer graves at St Helena and the Bahamas, who a simple peasant folk, death, concentration camps, destroyed homesteads, a dream in ruins. I am the child of Nongqawuse. I am he who made it possible to trade in the world markets in
diamonds, in gold, in the same food for which my
pestilential mosquito.
they who, as a people, perished in the result.
to Khartoum, as Ethiopians and as the Ashanti of Ghana, as the Berbers of the desert.
sees in the mind’s eye and suffers the suffering of
foolish deeds of the theatre of our day.
merciless genocide our native land has ever seen,
My mind and my knowledge of myself is formed by the victories that are the jewels in our African crown, the victories we earned from Isandhlwana
of the veld.
they who were the first to lose their lives in the
soldiers Moshoeshoe and Ngungunyane taught never to dishonour the cause of freedom.
both of trembling and of hope.
beautiful Cape - they who fell victim to the most
informs my bearing, their culture a part of my
stomach yearns. I come of those who were transported from India and China, whose being resided in the fact, solely, that they were able to provide physical labour, who taught me that we could both be at home and be foreign, who taught me that human
existence itself demanded that freedom was a necessary condition for that human existence. Being part of all these people, and in the knowledge that none dare contest that assertion, I shall claim that - I am an African.
about these ancestors of the generations that live, fearful to admit the horror of a former deed,
Thabo Mbeki
seeking to obliterate from our memories a cruel
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by Philippa Rose-Tite
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Merely showing up and meandering along, with my only plan being to keep the sun on my shoulders and my hair from strangling me in the wind, really wasn’t enough
I
am after all, a habitual planner. I like to know what I am doing and when. I like to have a list, a plan, a map. Regrettably, I have such a large FOMO (fear of missing out) that I worry if I haven’t done the requisite research. I fear I’ll miss out on all the fun stuff, and so I plan fun. But where’s the spontaneity, I hear you cry. Spontaneous? You can bet your well-planned itinerary that I’m spontaneous. I pencil it in! A vague rumbling reminded me that breakfast was more than a little
overdue, but my hotel had been so warm and cosy that rolling out of bed at nine in the morning had seemed perfectly reasonable 20 minutes earlier; and as I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I contemplated what was to be my
next few days of unplanned exploration, in what is arguably the new centre of cool – Kalk Bay, just down the coast from Muizenberg in Cape Town. Soon, however, the cries from my tummy turned a little more insistent, and
so after a short stroll I turned into Lekker, brunch being a prerequisite of any good break from reality. While I settled in to wait for my Kernel Benedict and in honour of my newly found hippie spirit of not planning anything and embracing all possibilities, I broke the cardinal rule of big city life. I actively engaged with strangers.
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In July 2018 Kalk Bay became the popular kid in high school, when it was named one of the twelve coolest neighborhoods in the world, by Forbes, sharing the spotlight with places like Washington and Barcelona, while nudging out competitors like New York City, the quintessential cool kid in town.
B
eing the middle of the week on a brisk spring morning, and with the holiday season not yet upon us, it came as no surprise that most of those around me were locals. Upon hearing that I had no particular plans, and would just bop along wherever the wind took me, the locals nodded their heads sagely, muttering things like ‘always the best way’ and ‘people need to learn to chill and just go with the flow’. As it transpired, however, ‘going with the flow’ entailed more
than a few qualifiers. For instance (sotto voce): ‘Ah yes, I wish everyone would just relax and not be so militant about plans… (soulful silence)… but you really should make sure that you try to get to the harbour to visit Sailor.’ Sailor, as I later discovered, is a naughty seal who hangs about Kalk Bay harbour, swiping the catch from local fishermen. I didn’t actively haul out an hourly calendar at this point and pencil this in, but I did tuck it away in my head for later. This pearl of wisdom was augmented by an enthusiastic discussion between a few concerned individuals, worried that my laissez-faire attitude – while important to the success of my break, my mental well-being, and my ability to write this piece – would actually result in the very thing I was most afraid of. Missing all the good stuff. Which they then went on to discuss in great and varied detail. Concerned Bystander One: ‘But what if she doesn’t see Harbour House? It’s a pivotal part of Kalk Bay. Or the Kalk Bay book shop? Has she seen Kalk Bay Quarter? Have you seen Kalk Bay Quarter? Oh, you have to see that! They have the most divine pottery, jewellery and even clothing’. ‘Oh and the co-op, it’s such fun. I bought a gorgeous hand-painted tile from there last week, it’s simply beautiful,’ replied concerned Bystander Two.
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‘You can’t say you’ve been to Kalk Bay until you’ve spent time in the harbour. Really it’s the basis of this entire area, with its roots in the old whaling industry, which – when it was outlawed – meant that Kalk Bay had to re-invent itself, and you can buy fish from the fisherman as they head in with their nets’ – this from concerned Bystander Three.
A
s I slowly walked my fingers across the table, nabbed my phone and began to surreptitiously add notes, a shriek from concerned Bystander Four warned me not to plan, but to let my feet take me wherever they found themselves heading. I was just to make certain they (my feet) headed towards Olympia (bakery), which was an institution in itself and definitely not to be missed. Bereft of notes and with a memory like a colander, I
started to chant these names to myself like an obsessive yogi. After a startled pause from the table, conversation around evenings in Kalk Bay commenced and what followed was a New York Times critic-worthy appraisal of the latest show running at the Kalk Bay Theatre. With a general good-humoured agreement that it was in fact worth seeing and that as a single person I would probably be able to get a ticket, conversation moved on to drinks (Cape to Cuba, amazing cocktails, gorgeous food, and Tretchikoff-esque décor) and dinner, which just couldn’t be anywhere other than the best pizza place in the whole world – Satori. By this time, having given up my chant, I started on my eggs instead, hoping that a saunter through the neighbourhood would remind me of all the places I just had to try. As I let the good-natured chatter wash over me, it occurred to me that this is a community of locals who graciously share their knowledge, not so that they can show off, but because they are genuinely proud of their space in the world, their neighbours and their parcel of coast in False Bay. The history of this suburb by the sea is long, and many families have resided in the area for generations, building their community and cementing bonds. After wishes of good luck, I bade them farewell, and with no plan firmly lodged in my head, I set off to get ice-cream from the Ice Café, who use a secret family recipe to make the ice-cream I simply couldn’t miss!
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You can’t say you’ve been to
Kalk Bay until you’ve spent time in the harbour.
Eat: Ice Cream at Ice Café. Harbour House (elegant with beautiful views); Olympia, Satori, Lekker, Expresso, Ohana Café, Brass Bell, Cape to Cuba, Salt, Courtyard Café, Kalky’s. See: Kalk Bay Modern Gallery, Artvark (yes!) Gallery, the seals, and the historic caves. Visit: The tidal pool, harbour, light house and the fishermen as they come in from their daily excursions. Shop: The Kalk Bay Trading Post, Kalk Bay Books, Papagayo, Quagga Rare Books & Art, Casa Boho.
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Purple Raindrop DPS Advert v2.indd 2
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MAKE IT SIMPLE, BUT SIGNIFICANT Production | Project Management | Marketing | Social Media | Design www.purpleraindrop.co.za
info@purpleraindrop.co.za
Purple Raindrop DPS Advert v2.indd 3
+27 83 644 9351
@PurpleRaindrop
@Purplraindrop
@PurpleRaindropZA
@purple-raindrop
2021/07/01 12:04
First, Concept Then, Design Purple Raindrop DPS Advert v2.indd 4
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THE SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR GREAT SUCCESS Client meeting
1
We meet and learn about your business, your purpose and set goals for the project.
Conduct research We hit the books, scour the internet, interview professionals and more to learn about the industry. We also learn as much as possible about your competitors. This way we can give you the best possible campaign solution.
2
Sketch out ideas 3
We create different concepts and sketch out as many ideas as possible, choosing the ones that suit your needs.
Create variations of concept We take our concepts and flesh them out. Here we create variations of each concept to suit multiple platforms and keep a consistent story across the channels.
4
Present concept for feedback 5
We present these concepts to you, explain the rationale behind each concept and why they would be successful. You then provide us with your feedback and what you feel resonates best with your needs. We execute the necessary revisions to develop the concept into a fullfledged set of designs. We follow up with a second round of revisions to finalise the project.
6
Deliver and launch Once everything is approved, we send all the files to you in various formats (each suited for specific platforms). Either your team then implement, or the Purple Raindrop implementation team gets cracking on taking your campaign to the market!
www.purpleraindrop.co.za info@purpleraindrop.co.za
+27 83 644 9351
@PurpleRaindropZA
Purple Raindrop DPS Advert v2.indd 5
@PurpleRaindrop
@Purplraindrop
@purple-raindrop
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“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” Neil Gaiman
From Armstrong to Mindstrong by Robert Gobac
am almost embarrassed to say that I still remember being glued to my TV watching the direct transmission of the first moon landing. It was 1969 and, for many of you, I’m sure that sounds like ancient history. I remember the excitement of watching Neil Armstrong and his buddies dressed up in suits resembling swimming
Then, another (equally) exhilarating moment for so
pool chlorine dispensers, bouncing within the capsule and
many young kids (including myself): Tom Cruise in
saying those famous words, which I don’t want to even
1981 riding his super bike with an F-16 taking off in the
mention here, to avoid repeating the most commonplace
background, to the soundtrack of Take My Breath Away.
and kitsch of radio transmissions. At that moment, however, I had no idea what a cliché it would become.
S
o, did this young child have any choice of career, other than becoming a pilot or an astronaut? Ah, images of jet airplanes taking off with a
roar of (noise-deafening and pollution-generating) newly developed jet technology, fast motorbikes, and beautiful women. Yes, air hostesses had only to be beautiful in those days. They were definitely not safety officers, as they are today. In those days, safety officers were policemen and firemen. Then there were Ray-Ban sunglasses, whiskey glasses, and signature cigarettes (Marlboro only, naturally).
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(only a step more advanced than the Wright brothers), all the way to regular, at least bi-annual, training in ‘state of the art’ simulators of the very aircraft that they are flying, where they practise and analyse every imaginable emergency situation they could face.
A
ll of this is ‘spiced up’ with ongoing studying and exams in subjects that vary from basic
These are women and men who pass cognitive tests and psychological assessments with the highest scores; people who are critical, cooperative and can work under pressure, using all the available resources around them to solve problems.
firefighting to a profound knowledge of aircraft
technology, satellite navigation systems, meteorology, aerodynamics and human physiology, to name just a few. From the pilot image that we remember (which we could rather call human hardware), we have achieved a complete shift in paradigm allowing for the development of an efficient and safe crew.
T
he industry is no longer looking for the mavericks of the skies, but rather for personalities who are team players. These are women and men who
pass cognitive tests and psychological assessments with the highest scores; people who are critical, cooperative and can work under pressure, using all the available resources around them to solve problems. These are profiles that corporate companies look for in their leaders and top-level managers, people who are team-orientated and scientifically minded, and now we look for these
This was all it took to make the ‘wise’ choice for your future and as long as you could maintain this
characteristics and behaviours in our pilots as well. The result of this shift is an obvious change in our air
image, you were in all probability going to retire as a
travel accident statistics; a change that has made this mode
highly decorated captain on one or another of those
of transportation safer than any other.
flying devices. Of course that was if you were going to survive your
So farewell to Mr. Top Gun. The new Top Guns of today are smart, educated,
own attitude until retirement. Or survive alcohol abuse,
experienced and most of all highly decorated safe-keepers
tobacco, STDs and the other accoutrements of your
of passenger lives.
glamorous new profession. But that was then, and how different it all is today.
If I were a kid again, would I still choose to become a pilot? Of course, more than ever!
2017 was the safest year in commercial aviation history: the year of the famous ‘zero human fatalities as a result of accidents in commercial aviation’. If you take into account that there were more than four billion passengers carried in 2017, this safety statistic becomes even more impressive, and can be attributed to many known and some unknown factors.
T
here can be no doubt that new aircraft technology and efficient air traffic controlling played a huge role in this. More than anything, however, it is the
ever-advancing development and improvement of the most critical factor of flight: human software. The pilot of today. Modern jet aircraft are operated by a crew who have undergone years of training. This ranges from initially flying in light single-engine aircraft, in which they are taught to master the most fundamental principles of flight
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n i e m t e e M
p a
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P
ose pa R p i l i h
-Ti
te
OU R Y OF D OF N A D L N A HE L T HE IS T A S Y I UT! FR I C L O A A IT IF N I G HT E N H Y , T A L D I U FR SO R U YO
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Boisterous, loud, brimming with drama and
bursting with
beauty, Italy itself is an immersive experience.
From the fields of sunflowers in Tuscany, which seem to be reflections of the sun itself, to the sweeping views from Ragusa on the very tip of southernmost Sicily, which takes your breath away as you stare over the Mediterranean, Italy is a land that insists you participate. The options are endless, depending on the region you visit, but there can be no doubt that in order to live like an Italian – even for a little while – you need to eat, drink, contemplate and, most of all, just let the country’s passion work its way into your soul and let fate guide you where she will. Luckily we are here to make sure that fate guides you to some of the more fascinating sights on your journey to this beautiful land. Culled from the musings and meanderings of our United Maverick travel team, you will find an insider’s guide to Italy.
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n c e i Ve M
y introduction to Italy began
the family had their headquarters in the
in Venice on a warm, humid
sidewalk café that was part of the hotel. In the
Sunday afternoon.
morning, while we breakfasted on croissants
After landing at Marco
chef, they drank coffee and loudly exhorted
the crowd dispersed, with my bag being
an endless supply of noisy grandchildren
(typically) the last off the carousel. What
who stopped in to kiss them, to have a good
followed was an entertaining 25 minutes
day at school. During the morning, they held
wandering around trying to get someone to
court with espresso in their hands and serious
stamp me into the country but alas no one had
expressions on their faces, as a stream of
the slightest interest in my petty regulatory
neighbourhood young men stopped at their
needs, and so with a shrug I made my breezy
table. After lunch the little kids again made
way outside to await the bus that websites had
an appearance, running around their table
assured me would be along in short order.
and shrieking as they were slipped euros
It wasn’t. It was Sunday afternoon, and it
for ice-cream while exasperated, perfectly
took the bus more an hour to arrive, because
put-together young mothers laughingly
… well, it’s Italy… and time moves in a slightly
admonished the grandfathers. And in the
different way. But this inauspicious beginning
evenings we saw a supply of tiny glasses of
was in no way indicative of what was to come.
colourless alcohol and cigars as families
We chose to stay on the mainland of Venice,
gathered, talking, laughing and making me
largely due to the crowds that seem to make
envious that this was not my life.
moving on the island almost impossible, in a divine little hotel in Mestre. If you want a more authentic experience
Italy Travel v2.indd 6
that made me promise my first born to the
Polo airport and collecting their luggage,
The islands comprising Venice are where you go to experience the beauty of the endless waterways that have ever been the attraction
of Italian life, then you definitely can’t go
and might ultimately be the downfall of this
wrong with this approach. Our hotel was
special place. It is romantic and brimful of
family run, and two grandfatherly types from
drama, but it is also so much more than the
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gondolas and the Bridge of Sighs. So by all means when you go, take a meander past the traditional tourist places such as the Doge’s Palace, a scenic ride around the Grand Canal, St Mark’s Campanile (which affords a great view of the Basilica San Marco and the piazza) and the Murano Island for glass – but make sure you also go off the beaten path. Burano Island, about 30 minutes from Venice, is simply beautiful: the same gorgeous canals but coupled with brightly coloured houses and the Lace Museum. Stop for lunch; the fresh fish here is simply incredible. The shops tend to close early though, and make sure you get back to the vaporetto (like a city bus, but on water) in time for the last trip. More than one eager tourist has been stranded on the small islands due to not checking return times. For a relaxed beach experience (yes, you can do that in Venice), try Lido Island, the home of the Venice Film Festival. When the sun and sand start to pall, head over to the Armenian Catholic Monastery of San Lazzaro, and take a look at Lord Byron’s study. When you’re done, take a stroll along the Gran Viale, the main street that crosses the whole island, and stop for lunch at one of the exceptional restaurants that line the street. It’s a lot less touristy in Lido – except during the film festival – so you can relax and watch the true culture of Venice.
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It was Sunday
afternoon, and it
took the bus more an hour to arrive,
because ... well, it’s Italy... and time
moves in a slightly different way. Italy Travel v2.indd 8
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nce r flo e E
ven if your trip doesn’t afford you
time in Firenze, I am assailed by memory
the time to travel beyond the city
of ceaseless statuary, gelato so scrumptious
boundaries of Florence, you will have
it made my aching toes curl, endless paved
experienced more culture, beauty
streets, and laid-back people.
and history in this special place than your soul
One of the first places I visited was the
can properly absorb, if you spend just a few
Palazzo Pitti, due in no small part to the large
days in Florence.
variety of galleries (including the Galleria
The concept that the Florentine lifestyle
Uffizi) and museums housed within its
is one of il dolce far niente (the sweetness of
grounds. The crowds were not enormous,
doing nothing) is not entirely accurate. To
allowing us easy entry and a limited number
the outsider it may look like this is a culture
of queues. It is for this reason that I chose to
of eat, drink and be merry only, but this may
travel in October, as opposed to the summer
be due in large part to the Italian belief that
season when crowds are all you see. Part of this
one must enjoy life to the hilt. The concept
exquisite collection is the Boboli Gardens, and
of taking pleasure in surroundings, food and
if you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer
experiences, and actively seeking out this
volume of culture, I strongly advise a little
lifestyle can sometimes be foreign to more –
sojourn in the gardens. Beautiful sculptures
shall we call them ‘driven’ – cultures.
are scattered about, with the primary feature
Florence is an experience all its own. As with most of the big cities in Italy, one is delighted and surprised by the endless beauty, culture and history that appears round every
being the Fountain of Neptune which makes for delightful Instagram moments. For a little history on how Florence has developed over time, stop in at one of the
corner. When I think back to my
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‘To see the sun sink down, drowned on his pink and purple and golden s, an s ar
lines
er im an
elm
l rence
faint an
it
ti es
turn t e s li a sig t t
city t
a city
f
reams, is
stir t e c l est nature.’
oldest churches in the area, the Santa Maria
guide will pass on all the little titbits that make
Novella Church. It is one of the only churches
this type of visit memorable.
with its original façade still in place, and –
Italy Travel v2.indd 11
f c l r t at ma e all t e
For a different understanding of Il Duomo,
Mark Twain.
Italy (try Rick Steves’s Italy Guide). And for yet another perspective of Florence, visit Piazalle Michelangelo,
without exaggeration – it’s enormous. As
and indeed of Florence itself, take the bus
preferably at sunset – though, to be honest, it’s
large churches go, one can’t possibly hope to
to Fiesole, one of the little hilltop towns,
pretty spectacular the rest of the day too. It’s
compete with the focal point of all Florence,
have lunch and marvel at the views. It only
a perfect place to gaze out at this city that has
Duomo di Firenze. There has been so much
becomes apparent from this elevated position
given rise to so many of history’s rock stars.
written about this magnificent structure that
just how central to the city the dome is and as
Sure, Florence is touristy. But where
you may be inclined to just wing your tour,
we know, context is everything. At this point
else can you stroll the same pedestrian
but don’t. Book an official tour, preferably one
we think we should mention that there are a
streets walked by Michelangelo, Leonardo,
that takes you to the terrace and the top of
number of online walking guides that you can
and Botticelli while savouring the world’s
this edifice. The views are breathtaking and a
download to assist you on your trip through
best gelato?
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R
o
I
f the concept of culture was a place,
e m
we learned that the midnight Colosseum tour is something not to be missed. Less crowds, more atmosphere. We also discovered that restaurant Na Cosetta in Pigneto is a great place to go for live music and a relaxed vibe after a day of museums. And talking of art galleries and
it will be worth every blessed step. June to
museums… you really are spoiled for
August is extremely hot, and of course the city
choice in this beautiful city. In fact you
fountains, ancient architecture… they are
fairly heaves with tourists making for crowds,
can’t swing a metaphorical cat without
embedded into the very fabric of this city
queues and general bad temperedness from
hitting one, so if culture is your thing you
that seems to exhale history with every breath.
locals, so it may be best to avoid Rome in high
have so many options.
You will walk for miles, and you will gorge
summer. But it’s temperate enough in May and
it would be Rome. Statues, art works,
on culture like a fat kid at the cake table, and
Italy Travel v2.indd 12
From friends who actually live in Rome,
October, and your visit will be much easier.
The Capitoline Borghese Gallery (situated in the largest green area in Rome, there
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find yourself longing for art and culture from a more (shall we say) contemporary are gardens and a café – it’s a great place
century, you could do no better than
to spend an extended period), and Castel
stopping at the MAXXI, national museum of
Sant’Angelo (initially commissioned as
contemporary art and culture in Flaminio.
a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor
There are also a number of churches
Hadrian, this is now a museum) are not
on your to-do list. San Pietro in Vincoli is
to be missed. The Parish Basilica of Santa
slightly less busy than the main attractions,
Maria del Popolo is another must-see for its
and lies on a side street near the Colosseum.
beautiful, classic Renaissance style. If you
Here you will find floor to ceiling
‘Rome was a poem pressed into service as a city.’
Anatole Broyard.
Michelangelo sculptures of Moses, among others. Make sure you take euros with you to put in the offering box, because when you do so the lights come on. And of course there is St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. For would it be a visit to Rome without a visit to the Vatican? And we have a tip, again borrowed from our local guides. The Sistine Chapel by Night tour is an entirely different way to explore this magnificent space, without the hordes of tourists. As with every place in Rome, there is a combination of history, art and culture everywhere you go, and the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi (near Piazza Navona) is no different. But it does have no less than three Caravaggios – so if you’re a fan (and who isn’t?), don’t miss it.
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A
o s t f i al Ca
m
A
UNESCO world heritage site, the
Amalfi Coast is a must-see for the discerning tourist. Being coastal there are steps everywhere,
and the majority of them take you to breathtaking views of the region. That said, one of the most delightful views is that of the coast itself. So be sure to – at the very least – take a day trip to one of the local islands. Capri is always popular, and on your way you will be able to absorb the scale and beauty of this magnificent coastline. While in Capri make sure you take one of the unique open-top taxis around Ano Capris, and visit the Blue Grotto by boat.
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intrinsically fascinating, but we developed a
visit Herculaneum which was a victim of
the town of Sorrento, where the main
serious limoncello habit here (it really is the
the same catastrophic eruption of Vesuvius.
street shuts down every night so that the
home of this glorious nectar), and we hope
In many cases Herculaneum is better
community can enjoy the famed Italian
you will bring us back a bottle.
preserved and offers a much wider variety of
Popular areas of the Amalfi Coast include
passeggiata – which is really just eating
Close to Sorrento is the small, ancient
sightseeing options. If you’ve watched Under a Tuscan Sun
gelato and chatting to family and friends in
town of Ravello which has some of the
the streets. It’s one of those quintessentially
best views off the coast as well as gorgeous
one too many times and feel the need to visit
Italian experiences that you see in movies
mountainside gardens. During the summer
Positano, it is worth the trip. But be warned
and fear you may never actually partake in.
months you can expect indoor and outdoor
about those stairs we mentioned earlier. So
You can also pick up an elegantly crafted
gardens and festivals.
many, many stairs. Be sure to pop into Le Tre
pair of leather sandals in Sorrento, which
Also close to this area is, of course,
is famous for this type of work. You need to
Pompeii. You will have read the stories,
make an effort to visit the beautiful Cloister
maybe seen the dramatisations, but nothing
of San Francesco in Sorrento and don’t forget
compares to walking through the actual
the beautiful public gardens. If you have the
excavated homes and buildings. It certainly
time we strongly suggest a visit to a lemon
puts life (and death!) into perspective. If
orchard. Not because lemons themselves are
the crowds of Pompeii put you off, you can
Sorelle for the best seafood pasta you will ever enjoy.
‘You may have the universe if I may have Italy.’ Giuseppe Verdi.
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W
e have three reasons which should motivate you to ensure that Naples is on your
Italian itinerary: Gelato, the best pizza you will eat in your entire life, and Naples Underground. Obviously there are many more reasons to hang your hat in Naples for a time and we want to explore these here. Naples has something of a sordid reputation. One of the most fun quotes says Naples is ‘like a Queen who has smashed her crown against a wall’: magnificent and more than a little mad. There can be no doubt that pickpockets and their ilk proliferate here – as they do in any of the big tourist cities in Europe, and one has to exercise a
N
certain amount of caution after dark in the
apl
s
e
less tourist heavy areas. But if you keep your wits about you, Naples can make you happy. When it comes to pizza this is all we have to say: Eat pizza in Naples – it doesn’t matter where (though we returned more than once to L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele aka ‘The Sacred Temple of Pizza’). This is not like American pizza, or indeed like those of many other countries. The pizza in Italy is sublime and Naples is its sacred holy place. At the risk of making Naples all about food, we strongly recommend the gelato in Naples, though to be fair our favourite was actually found in Florence. But a gelato a day is definitely on the cards when you visit. Now we come to the Underground. It really does defy description so we strongly recommend a quick Google search. I think I fell in love with the Bourbon Gallery, a beautiful space used for concerts, recitals and even fashion shows, and then there’s the rest of the underground viaduct systems (which run for an impressive 400km underground). It’s a spooky, beautiful and impressive experience and one you definitely can’t forego.
‘Rome is stately and impressive; Florence is all beauty and
enchantment; Genoa is picturesque; Venice is a dream city; but
Naples is simply – fascinating.’ Lilian Whiting.
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Italians like to dress up.
Wandering
around in your
ripped jeans and i
s
ill
frowned upon.
e
You’re in the
I
country of style
nside info now, so suit up!
If you’re after the
beach life and small
towns, visit the Puglia
area, Alberobello,
Sardinia, La
Maddalena, and the Campania area.
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For views, mountains and walking, go to the Trentino and Aldige areas and the Dolomites in the north of the country.
If architecture
is your passion, prioritise the
big cities such
as Venice, Rome
and Florence.
Interested in hiking, culture and the
agricultural life? Visit Tuscany, Amalfi
Coast, Cinque Terre and Sicily.
Italy Travel v2.indd 19
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AN INTERVIEW WITH
by Philippa Rose-Tite
KGOSINKWE Solo artist, music producer, writer, composer, agent, father, son, husband, soccer player, linguist, tastemaker, and one half of the dynamic duo that make up award-winning South African band Mafikizolo, Theo Kgosinkwe shared his thoughts on the music industry and his journey with United Maverick
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HAT DREW YOU TO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? I never really wanted to be a musician. As a youngster I was incredibly active, and I wanted to be a professional soccer player, but I had to hang up my boots after a few injuries, and so I made music my life. I think it began because, growing up, my Dad would play records by all the greats, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, the O’Jays… He would put on the record player and my whole family would be there, we would be drawn to it, and would spend time together. It began the journey for me. As I got older, I joined a youth club which kept me busy, and we would dance, swim, of course play and listen to music, and I think it was there that I developed my love of all things musical. I have a gift for writing and composing, but I never wanted to do it for myself. I wanted to play the kind of role people like Quincy Jones played. I wanted to compose and write music for others. But I was learning that the smartest way to get my music out there and showcase my skill would be as part of a well-structured band, and I met Nhlanhla (Nciza – the other half of Mafikizolo), and it seemed natural we would be great partners. My parents had pushed me to finish school and then go to university (where I studied media and journalism), and once that was complete, I was free to pursue my dreams. After many demos we finally managed to get someone interested and we were signed by the biggest label in the ’90s. TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE MUSICIANS YOU ADMIRE/WHO INSPIRE YOU. When I was a kid and I used to buy CDs and cassettes, the first thing I would do would be to open it up and read the credits. I was fascinated by the people who wrote, composed, and produced the music. I knew it wasn’t all about the singer, there was a whole team of people whose names I began to recognise more and more as the power behind the music. People like Babyface, Quincy Jones and Chicco (Sello ‘Chicco’ Twala who wrote and produced for Brenda Fassie, among others). They inspired me to be the one to write the amazing music. Now when I go out and people approach me to tell me that they got married to a song I wrote, or how something I’ve written has special meaning in their lives, or helped them understand something, I am overwhelmed with the enormity and power of music. Consistent songwriters have the power to change worlds. WHEN YOU BEGIN WITH A NEW SONG, WHERE DO YOU START? For me it’s all about the melody. It can come to me and I just start singing. Once I have the melody I like to work on the chorus, which I believe is the most powerful part of the song, and from there I build the story around it. Often the music is already written, and I must write the song (the lyrics) to the music instead of the other way around. That’s a little more challenging, as I must find the story that fits, so it can be a challenge. But generally, if the music is good, if it has soul, then the song is good.
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WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST CREATIVE CHALLENGE IN
including the UK, US, and Australia. Taking time away from the band
YOUR CAREER? That would have to be switching between genres. I
and working on our solo careers allowed us both to come back as
absolutely love writing Afro-pop, which is upbeat, so I find switching to
stronger individual artists, more sure of our strengths and our skills.
ballads challenging. Also, when I was writing a lot of kwela kwela, which has a ’50s and ’60s feel, I had to listen to the music of the time for at least
WHAT SHOULD I BE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Well, first
a week so that I could find its voice. Another struggle can be writing in
off, you need to play gospel music every morning to set the tone for
a language that isn’t my first or even second language. I am Tswana but
your day. And then every afternoon to end your day. Then you need our
I need to be diverse, and most of our songs are in isiZulu and isiXhosa
Thandolwethu on your playlist of course! Anything off the 360 Music
so I had to learn. I also did a song in
Factory album as well. And don’t forget
Portuguese and needed to work with a
the slightly older, but no less cool, 20
translator for that.
by Mafikizolo, which is just a great celebration of music, and Ella Mai.
TALK US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY FOR YOU. None of my days are
WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT
typical, really. But when I am home
STEPS AS AN ARTIST? IS IT
everything centres on my family. Being
ABOUT SOLO JOURNEYS OR
on the road I miss out on a lot, so I try
MAFIKIZOLO? The band is still my
to spend time being present, going
biggest passion; having started it,
to church and catching up with my
I feel like it’s my baby, it’s what was
parents, the family and of course my
inside of me. Our goal is to win a BET,
admin. Which I hate. I am bad with
or a Grammy. We’ve been nominated
e-mail, but I have my own artists now
before, but we haven’t brought it
and my businesses are growing so I
home. So that’s what we are working
must stay in touch with all the various
towards. It’s our 25th anniversary in
aspects of everything.
2022 so we have some special things coming for that. Our beautiful new
AS A CREATIVE WITH HIS HEART
video for Thandolwethu is also being
AND SOUL IN HIS WORK, HOW
released soon, and it’s remarkable!
DO YOU HANDLE CRITICISM? It’s
I have a lot going on. My label (360
difficult to be in the public eye. The
Degrees Entertainment) is doing
boundary between your professional
well, which I feel is the first step
and private life is blurry, and the media
to leaving a legacy. I have a lot of
tend to say whatever they want with
experience in the industry. We
scant regard for the truth. And people
have made a lot of contacts and I
don’t interrogate the information. I’ve been in the public eye for a while
want to groom young talent and give the upcoming generation the
now, so I am much better at dealing with it, and not all criticism is bad,
opportunity they need to succeed, by using my contacts, and building
some is useful and provides insight into what you can improve.
collaborations with people. We released our first album in 2020 and it was such a great collaboration between experienced musos
REUNITED WAS A HUGE ALBUM, AND 20 ALSO GARNERED
and young up-and-comers. This is a big focus point for me in the
CRITICAL ACCLAIM. DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE TO PRODUCE
coming years. We want to get some great names, people with years
MUSIC IN A CERTAIN WAY OR TO CONFORM TO THE SAME
of experience, and pair them up with rising talent to not only give
STYLE OF THOSE ALBUMS? Well, times are changing, and with
each other exposure to different ways of thinking but to share the
Reunited we needed to decide if we were going to come back (after a
knowledge, the experience and to give back to our community. We
brief hiatus to rest and regroup) as an Afro-pop group, or how we were
envision taking this on the road, finding new talent that wouldn’t
going to approach it. There is enormous pressure to be successful.
otherwise get this opportunity and really opening the door for young
We were blessed to have really cool producers who were very ‘in
South Africans from all walks of life.
tune’ with the club scene and what people were listening to, so they could help acclimatise us to what people wanted to hear. We’ve been
IF YOU COUL HA E COFFEE
immensely lucky as some of our songs have done exceptionally well
WHAT WISDOM WOULD YOU SHARE? I would tell him: ‘You
around the world, and in unexpected places like Nigeria. Then 20 had
have great ideas and capability. Stop procrastinating. Go for what
to be different again. Love Potion was a huge success all over Africa
you want to do. Don’t rely on people to do things for you. Ask them
and attracted young and old audiences. It was a real crossover song.
to assist, but most of the things you must do for yourself. If you want
But then we have been known as a crossover band since the beginning,
things to happen, only you can make it happen. Dream big, and then
which has allowed us to explore areas we haven’t traditionally been
go for it. Continue to be who you are, don’t try to fit into other people’s
popular in and allowed us to play popular festivals around the world
ideas of who you should be.’
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Corton-Charlemagne:
by Richard Holmes
Romanée-Conti. Château d’Yquem. Pétrus. Cheval Blanc. In the world of fine wine these icons require little introduction. But for those passionate about the elegant white wines of Burgundy, there is only one name to covet for the cellar: Corton-Charlemagne.
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Charlemagne – often dubbed the ‘Father of Europe’, for uniting much of central and western Europe – who left the most indelible mark on this landscape. In 775 he donated some of his best vineyards to the nearby Abbey of Saulieu, whose members would go on to work these remarkable lands for the next thousand years. To this day the emblem of Charlemagne – a double-headed eagle – graces the coat-of-arms of the surrounding villages. The montagne is also unique in Burgundy in that two Grands Crus exist side by side: Corton, with its vineyards of mostly Pinot Noir, and Corton-Charlemagne where Chardonnay is the star. For winemakers, the site is particularly sought after for its range of aspects, with vineyards facing west, south and east. “It’s a cooler site, and because the soils lean towards white wine – more limestone, less clay – you tend to get a more structured, mineral style of wine, quite earthy,” explains Roland Peens, director of Wine Cellar Fine Wine Merchants. “They are leaner, without the warmth of
To this day the emblem – graces the coat-ofurgundy is about purity and grape expression. Unlike the blended red wines of Bordeaux, the region brings a steely focus on just two noble cultivars: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. With less weight given to the blending skills of the winemaker, in Burgundy the focus is purely on the quality of the terroir. Unlike Bordeaux, here it is the vineyard, not the château, which is classified as Grand Cru, Premier Cru or, well, not worth the bother really. In Burgundy, terroir trumps everything. The vineyards of Burgundy stretch across some 28 000 hectares, but only a tiny fraction – about two percent – receive the highest ‘Grand Cru’ classification. And there are certainly few pockets of Grand Cru vineyard more impressive than the Montagne de Corton. With a summit of dense woodland, this icon of the Côte de Beaune sees a graceful sweep of hillside blanketed with 160 hectares of vineyards stretching between the ancient villages of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernard-Vergelesses. The vineyards of the Corton-Charlemagne appellation d’origine contrôlée account for about 72 hectares of the best vineyards and boast the only west-facing Chardonnay vineyards in Burgundy. Terroir aside, it is also a hill with a remarkable history. These ancient vineyards are named for two emperors, Curtis d’Othon and Charlemagne. Of the two it is
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of Charlemagne – a double-headed eagle arms of the surrounding villages. vineyards further north.” Peens cites tasting a 1990 Corton-Charlemagne as “one of the most magical experiences of my wine life,” but if further proof were needed that this forested hill is home to some of the world’s finest winemaking terroir, look no further than the opinion of Aubert de Villaine, co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Since November 2018, this Burgundian icon has leased a parcel of Corton-Charlemagne, the first time in decades that the famed cellar has added new vineyards to its portfolio. “This acreage of Corton-Charlemagne will confirm our presence on this great site,” said De Villaine. “To make a great Corton-Charlemagne is a challenge that we are happy to undertake.” While the wines of Corton-Charlemagne are perhaps more easily accessible than many other Grand Cru producers of Burgundy – take a bow, Romanée-Conti – their growing cult status ensures that demand still far outstrips supply. So, an opportunity to taste six of the region’s most famous producers at a single sitting? Well, that’s just about unheard of. But then, the team at Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient are no strangers to pulling off the impossible. With little bluster or fanfare, head chef Chantel Dartnall has quietly gone about establishing this enigmatic hotel and restaurant west of Pretoria, South Africa, as one of the country’s most respected fine-dining destinations.
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She’s also cemented her reputation on the global stage: in 2017 Dartnall was named Best Lady Chef at the international Best Chef Awards, and she’s twice won Chef of the Year at South Africa’s Eat Out Restaurant Awards. While Dartnall takes care of the kitchen, the remarkable cellar is the domain of cellar master Cobus du Plessis, who guards the key to a collection holding somewhere north of 80 000 bottles. Amidst this treasure trove of fine wines from across the globe lies a remarkable collection of iconic wines grown and vinified on the hills of Burgundy. Who better to conjure up a tasting that would inspire awe and delight in equal measure? In March 2020, serendipitously just a few weeks before South Africa’s first Covid-19 lockdown, 20 wine lovers and gourmands gathered at Restaurant Mosaic for a once-in-alifetime tasting of Corton-Charlemagne wines. “Cobus is just fanatical about older Burgundian wines and has been collecting these for the past 20 years,” explained Dartnall. “We host exclusive tastings a few times each year and we wanted to share this incredible line-up with a few guests who share a similar passion for fine wine.” The evening of Corton-Charlemagne wines certainly had a tough act to follow. In recent years, the Restaurant Mosaic tastings have explored some of the world’s most famous marques: the likes of Château Margaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, and the sweet Sauternes wines from
Amidst this treasure trove of fine wines the globe lies a remarkable collection wines grown and vinified on the hills of Graves, east of Bordeaux. For the Corton-Charlemagne tasting Du Plessis selected six wines, all from the 2005 vintage. This was the year Restaurant Mosaic was founded and is widely hailed as a superb vintage for Burgundy. A “thrilling combination of ripeness and acidity,” noted respected Master of Wine Jancis Robinson of the 2005. “Concentrated, structured whites, with juicy acidity and ripe fruit flavours,” raved Wine Spectator. “Many are enjoyable now, but the best will age.” And age gracefully they certainly have, as wine after wine wowed the cast of wine lovers assembled to taste this unique horizontal flight. That flight included a bottle from Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils, one of the oldest domaines in Burgundy, dating back to 1731. Equally beguiling was the understated charm of Domaine Bonneau du Martray, amongst the most famous producers of Corton-Charlemagne. Domaine
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The Dinner Amuse Bouche
A utumn Dreamtime
A Small Prelud
e from the Kitc
hen
First Courses
Mont Blanc
Foie Gras, Leek , Citrus Confit Maison Louis Latour Cor tonCharlemagne 1998
By The Greek Oak
Pommes Dauph
ine, Wild Mushr oom Ragoût, Pe Domaine Bonne rigord Black Tr au du Mar tray uf fle Cor ton-Charle magne 1998
Little Luxuries
Lobster Mouss é, Savoy Cabba ge, Caviar d’Aq Domaine Bonne uitaine au du Mar tray Cor ton-Charle magne 1987 Main Course
Celeriac Pureé,
A frican Aromas
Morel Mushroo ms, Warm Truf fle Jus Sphere Domaine Bonne au du Mar tray Cor ton 2010 Cheese Cours
26 Month Matur
e
Blink-Blaar-Wag-’n-B ie
tjie
ed Charles Am aud Comté, 10 00 Days Goude 36 Month Aged Amsterdam, Parmigiana Reg Maison Louis La iano, Mancheg o tour Château C or ton Grancey Grand Cru 1996
from across of iconic Burgundy.
Dessert
Babbà au Limoncino
Lemon Baba, Le mon Verbena So rbet, Kalamanzi Louis Bouillot Chiboust Cremant de Bou rgogne Grande Reser ve Brut N Cof fee, Tea an
V
d Petits Fours
Pierre André Corton-Charlemagne was similarly memorable, and exceptional in that it is a cast of female winemakers who have shaped the recent past and are setting the course for the future of the domaine. Last, but certainly not least, was the wine that everybody was waiting for: the Domaine J.F. Coche-Dury CortonCharlemagne: a brilliant golden-straw hue in the glass, a fresh nose of white peach and pear, and an unmistakeable richness growing in texture across the palate. A wine of energy, complexity, and subtlety combined. For the assembled guests it was plain to see why CocheDury has been dubbed the ‘King of Corton’. And with wine
Just before publication, the restaurant Mosaic at The Orient in South Africa closed their doors for the last time. They continue their journey in a beautiful new château in France where the Restaurant Mosaic has started a new chapter of excellence.
like this made in his name, even Charlemagne himself would be pleased. After the formal tasting flight, head chef Chantel Dartnall presented a remarkable seven-course menu, painstakingly created to perfectly match the fine wines selected by cellar master Cobus du Plessis.
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e watched, agog, as craft beer slowly began to rise from the depths of Grandpa’s bathtub to the height of hipster cool. Bearded, red-check shirted, lumber-jack clad millennials (sans the actual axe needed for tree felling) delighted us with the purest of brews and we revelled in the simplicity of hops, yeast and water. But, if like me, beer is not necessarily your bag, and if the wondrous details of the beer revolution were largely lost on your simple soul, then the next big thing may be just up your alley. Gin. Now I’m not talking mass-produced, strip-the-paintoff-the-walls astringent gin… I mean the silky smooth, delicately balanced artisan-produced gin that has been slowly tip-toeing into mainstream consciousness over the past few years. Alas, it’s almost impossible to drink as much gin as one wants to, yet the more we read the scintillating descriptions of these beautiful drinks, the more we want to try them. Every single one. For me gin has always been hopelessly romantic, a little bit forbidden and ever so slightly sordid. Raised on a steady stream of the books of John Steinbeck and his ilk – stories of illegal stills hidden deep in the mountains, the low classhigh maintenance, strong and saucy speakeasy madams, and of course the dangerous, blues- soaked culture – made it seem a drink worth dying for (well, almost). Of course the stories have been written and now largely forgotten, but the rise of craft beer made it inevitable that eyes and minds would eventually turn to other crafty drinks; and since the barrier to entry for gin is so low, because it’s relatively easy to make and has no defined flavour (the only prerequisite being that it taste predominantly of juniper berries), it was the natural choice for a market begging for a next big thing.
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The Inverroche distillery lies at the confluence of the Goukou River and the Indian Ocean near Stilbaai. Vineyards, olive groves and fynbos surround the distillery itself, with ancient milkwood trees marking the boundaries of the estate. South African-produced gins are infused with botanicals ranging
The distillery’s three gins were launched in December 2011
from the fairly common juniper, wild anise, cardamom, citrus,
which, incidentally, was also the fi rst time that it opened its doors
elderflowers, sweet thorn, rose petals, orange peel, cinnamon, honey,
to the public. From selling a few bottles on that fi rst day to now
ground almond, to the slightly more exotic angelica, orris root,
producing between 10 000 and 13 000 bottles per month, the
coriander, naartjie, pomegranate and even the Kalahari truffle, in
distillery and its spirit has been a success story. While every gin maker has their own
various delightful combinations. And when I write that this sector of our ‘culture’ is burgeoning, I’m not kidding. Here – in alphabetical order – is a list of just some of our distilleries: A Mari Ocean Gin; Black Meerkat Gin; Black Mountain Gin; Blind Tiger Gin; Bloedlemoen Handcrafted Gin; Cape Town Gin Co.; Clemengold Gin; Cruxland Gin; Distillery 031 Durban Dry Gin; Die Mas Kalahari Dry Gin; Durbanville Distillery; Flowstone Wild African Botanicals Gin; Geometric Gin; Ginny Fowl Gin; Ginologist; Hope on Hopkins; Inverroche… ‘Just some’ – because I am going to be unfair and stop at ‘I’: Inverroche, in which their key ingredient is the local fynbos. Fynbos is the major type of vegetation of a very small botanical region known as the Cape Floral Kingdom and has one of the highest known concentrations of plant species: 1 300 per 10 000 km . 2
as humans, we are genetically wired to ‘buy into’ a ‘story’. it is how we learn, how we keep ourselves safe and how we share experiences.
unique flavour fi ngerprint, and every drinker their preferred style of gin, there are commonalities to the gin experience that are driving even more engagement with this fiery liquid. As humans, we are genetically wired to ‘buy into’ a ‘story’. It is how we learn, how we keep ourselves safe and how we share experiences. And gin always comes with a great story. Whether the story of the plucky mom and son duo above, or any of the many, many stories associated with artisanal stills all over South Africa, or even the very story of gin’s inception*, it is one of the few alcohols that has a history as colourful and varied as its tastes. Of course it isn’t just the subtle, unconscious desire to ‘know’ that drives our love of this juniper-flavoured juice; gin has also managed to do something no other alcohol has yet. If part of the act
Conservation of the Cape Floral Kingdom, with its distinctive
of consuming food or drink is visual and tactile, then the ‘new’ gins
fynbos vegetation, is therefore of global importance and draws
are as sexy as hell. Given that it’s one of the only sectors to break the
the interest of botanists the world over.
mould and offer bottles in multiple variations, the average gin bottle
From a gin maker’s perspective, fynbos offers up a vast array of
isn’t recognisable as such. There appears to be just as much effort
different combinations, as well as a very specific ‘regionality’; it’s not
going into the designing of beautiful bottles, labels and packaging as
just unique to South Africa, but fynbos can literally be unique to a
there is going into producing the gin itself. No longer the ‘Mother’s Ruin’ of old, gin has been claimed by the
specific area of farm, coast or mountain. The story of Inverroche Gin began in 2007, when mother and son duo, Lorna and Rohan Scott, began experimenting with a 1.7ℓ copper
cool kids as the drink de rigueur and it always tells a great story. And as we all know, a great story gets you every time.
pot still affectionately known as ‘Mini Meg’. The Inverroche fynbos botanicals are harvested by hand from the coastal dunes of the Cape and high mountain regions when they are in season.
*inception Gin started out as a cure-all medication that was swallowed for its restorative properties and was purchased from local pharmacies. The juniper berries were added to make it more palatable and over time, and through recipe experimentation, better and more refi ned flavours became a way of telling your pharmacists apart. It was during the Thirty Years’ War that soldiers began to use this tonic for a ‘shot of Dutch courage’ and when returning home they made sure to take it with them and to keep drinking it.
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‘I HAD A FARM IN AFRICA AT THE FOOT OF THE NGONG HILLS. MILE O E OR I E DA IME O EL A MORNINGS AND EVENINGS WERE LIMPID AND RESTFUL, AND
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THE EQUATOR RUNS ACROSS THESE HIGHLANDS, A HUNDRED YOU HAD GOT HIGH UP; NEAR TO THE SUN, BUT THE EARLY THE NIGHTS WERE COLD.’
Safari
by D eb ra B o u wer
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These famous lines from the book, Out of Africa, ignite a kaleidoscope of images: awe-inspiring sunrises, hot humid days, dust billowing from the hooves of thousands of animals careening across the vast plains and lions hunting in the dry savanna. It’s been 35 years since the film based on the book was released and the portrayals of Africa are no different. Thousands of documentaries broadcast skittish impala warily drinking at watering holes under the watchful eyes of crocodile; giraffe reaching into the canopy of acacia trees; and elephant wandering across the Amboselli National Park, silhouetted against Mt Kilimanjaro as the sun gradually sets. This portrayal of Africa has been the inspiration for many a trip. Who hasn’t wanted to feel the sun bounce off the Nyiri Desert sand, or the thundering of hooves run through their body as the great migration takes place less than 100metres away. But where does one start? This experience comes with a bewildering array of options. The great migration or a photographic birding tour, a boating safari down the Zambezi, or a trek into the highlands to see the mighty mountain gorilla? We think the best place to start is by choosing a time of year to travel. East Africa beats to its own rhythm of seasonal variation between wet and dry periods. The first dry season runs from June to October, followed by ‘the short rains’ through November, after which comes the second dry season from early December through March, quickly pursued by the ‘long rains’ from April to May. Late January to mid-February is calving season for the wildebeest, who take up residence in and around Ngorongoro and Ndutu. This once gigantic volcano is now the largest intact caldera in the world. At just more than 600m deep, this ancient geographical footprint forms a spectacular wildlife haven. In the late afternoons as the mists roll in, the caldera below seems to bubble like a cauldron. To get the best out of your safari, stay on the crater rim. Aptly named the ‘game lodge at the top of the world’, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge consists of 30 stilted suites perched on the rim, ostentatiously furnished in rich colours with a mix of wood and thatch. Equally well positioned is Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp that provides guests with a more intimate feel of Africa. Well-placed amid the shaded trees of an acacia forest, it boasts just nine intimate canvas tents
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offering quintessential luxury accommodation. Further afield and away from the tourist routes are famous lodges such as Ngorongoro Oldeani Mountain Lodge. With its colonial feel, it offers 360 degree views extending all the way to Lake Manyara and Lake Eyasi. As the hot summer days scorch the earth, the wildebeest and their calves head away from the Ndutu plains towards
‘THE ONLY MAN I ENVY IS THE MAN WHO HAS NOT YET BEEN TO AFRICA, FOR HE HAS SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO.’ RICHARD MULLIN
the Masai Mara, in search of good grazing. Several herds join forces accompanied by thousands of zebra. Soon,
imprint on the environment, they move from one private
over a million animals swarm beneath dust clouds across
concession area to the next ensuring guests are constantly
the vast 14 500 km2 Serengeti. Lion, hyena and jackal
near the action.
trail the herds, preying on the young, the aged and the
The most opulent tented camp in the western corridor,
weak. Vultures swoop in as undertakers of the remains.
with its own Michelin-star chef, is Singita Sabora,
As our extravaganza of hooves move into the Serengeti’s
which offers some of the most sensational views of the
western corridor and on towards the infamous Grumeti
surrounding plains.
River crossing, crocodiles lie in anticipation beneath murky waters. At the end of a long and dusty day, as the African sun dips below the horizon, soft beds, a crackling fire and sumptuous
To the north, on the approach to the Mara, lie tented camps such as Sayari, Lamai Nomad and the ultra-modern, ultrachic and quirky Singita Mara. By now, the herds are settling down after their long
delights await (for the human traveller). Both the Serengeti
journey across the vast expanse in search of greener grasses.
and Mara have dozens of lavish camps from which to choose.
The long rains have given way to abundant swards of
In the southern Serengeti, alongside the Arugusinyai
sustenance. For now they quietly graze while mischievous
River, lies the epitome of indulgence: Mwiba Lodge. Situated
simians play and iridescent birds dance about against the
on an enormous expanse of private wildlife reserve, it boasts
backdrop of the majestic baobabs.
only eight exclusive river suites. In a class of their own are the mobile luxury tented
To the east of Tanzania and Kenya, lie a chain of volcanoes that create a natural border between Uganda, Rwanda and
camps, which constantly move with the migration – such
the Congo. Together they form the Virunga Mountains, one
as ‘Serengeti Under Canvas’. Taking care not to leave an
of the most diverse protected areas in Africa, so much so that almost half of Sub-Sahara’s biodiversity is found here. Amid these mountains and the surrounding forests live some of the most unique and spectacular creatures on Earth: the chimpanzees and the majestic mountain gorillas.
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‘THE MORE YOU LEARN ABOUT THE DIGNITY OF THE GORILLA, THE MORE YOU WANT TO AVOID PEOPLE.’ DIAN FOSSEY
No safari in Africa is complete without a visit to these magnificent animals, but be warned: the smaller the primate the faster they move. Here you do not have the convenience of a 4x4. Instead, you need to rely on the speed of your own feet. High in the canopy of the forests, the chimpanzees dart about in search of food, ever playful, ever watchful and ever conscious of the social order of the troop. Donned in boots and long-sleeved shirts, your only task is to track them on foot, ever mindful of the projectile of seed pods that come tumbling in your direction with astonishing precision from the tomfoolery of the canopy dwellers above. To see these mischievous miscreants requires a permit ranging in cost from $50 to $150 depending which forest you visit them in. Permits are only available from the main head office and note that there is a minimum age of 15 years. Of all the primates, none is more commanding of your attention than the mountain gorilla. A permit to track one habituated family and, once you find them, to spend one hour in their company costs $600 in Uganda and $1 500 in Rwanda. But getting to them requires trekking uphill through thick vines and tightly packed bamboo. In Uganda the forest is not called the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for nothing, and like its neighbour in Rwanda, it is only accessible on foot. As tough as those hours of hacking through dense bush can be, nothing can prepare you for the surge of joy and incredulity that these endangered animals bring when you see them standing or playing in front of you. It is only once you experience them in person that you understand how misbegotten it is to call them animals, when in fact they are a 98% genetic match to humans. Guarded by their silverback, you get to watch these easygoing vegetarians interact in an intimate family setting. Females cuddle their young; the teens pull each other’s hair; juveniles swing on tall bamboo shoots and climb all over the ever-patient silverback.
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When it comes to accommodation in these areas you are spoilt for choice. In Uganda, overlooking the forest is Bwindi Lodge. It boasts eight individual bandas (chalets), and each
But if you want a romantic setting, stay at Virunga Lodge.
is named after the Bwindi gorillas. Smaller primates and
Set at an altitude of 2 300m, it has panoramic views of the
endless birdlife make a fascinating spectacle around the
Virunga volcanoes as well as the twin lakes of Ruhondo and
outdoor terraces in the late afternoon.
Bulera. Ten luxurious bandas, each with their own intimate
Equally spectacular is Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge. Built as a conservation project, it supports the long-term protection of the gorillas. Clad in natural stone, the views
terrace, are luxuriously furnished in Rwandan fabrics and locally inspired furnishings. Like Tanzania and Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have two
are incomparable. On a clear night, even the Nyiragongo
rainy seasons. The first is from February to June and then
Volcano can be seen. A private veranda, personal butler and
from September to December. However the primates are
spacious rooms with large windows entice you to spend the
there year round, with the only variation being that the
afternoon relaxing and musing on the wilds of Africa.
cooler the weather, the later they are likely to sleep in.
Rwanda is no different. Here the Bisate Eco Lodge, in an
As the sun sets across the savanna of the Serengeti and
eroded volcanic cone with phenomenal views of the Bisoke,
dips below the horizon, the mountain gorillas make their
Sabinyo and Karisimbi mountains – six large, self-contained
nests for the night. Breaking the tops of bamboo branches
dome-shaped grass suites adorn the hillside.
they fold them into a basket-like net, strong enough to take their weight. As darkness falls, they, like the weary traveller, lay their heads down to rest, until the sun rises again in the east and calls its creatures to venture once again into the African sunlight.
‘I AM NOT AFRICAN BECAUSE I WAS BORN IN AFRICA BUT BECAUSE AFRICA WAS BORN IN ME.’ KWAME NKRUMAH
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in
A country’s wealth should not be measured in diamonds, gold or GDP. It should be measured by the collective heart of its people. In that respect, Africa boasts riches far beyond those hidden behind fortified walls. United Maverick shares a little about what makes some of our countries so special, written by those who live there.
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by Jac ki e K l i n e fro m Ugand a , E a st Afri c a .
Uganda is a remarkable place. It is as diverse in its culture as it is in its landscape, with people from myriad ethnic backgrounds all coming together. Boasting more than 40 ethnic African groups, Uganda stakes claim to a diversity of rich cultures, lifestyles and languages. While English is generally spoken throughout the country – making it easy for tourists to communicate – Swahili, Luganda and other Bantu languages such as Nyoro, Rutooro and Nkore are spoken in the tribal areas. But while we may have diversity in our people, we all share the same common goal of kinship. It’s this general hospitality that makes Uganda especially unique. That said, our people are only half of it – Uganda is blessed with abundant natural beauty too. Uganda’s greatest ace is its tourism industry. Most of the fauna and flora are heavily influenced by an abundance of water. One such water source is the Nile, which terminates in Lake Albert in the west. To the south, Lake Victoria, being one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world dominates the landscape. Lake Victoria also contains many islands and is a prime tourist destination for those seeking island vacations. Most importantly, cities are located in the south, near this lake, including the capital Kampala and the nearby city of Entebbe. Uganda takes much pride in its wild treasures, with 60 protected areas, including 10 national parks. Wildlife makes up a large part of Uganda’s tourism, with excellent Big Five viewing available, and also our chimpanzees and gorillas, which have become endangered over the years. Uganda is blessed with many treasures. Most of them don’t glitter at all, but hold much more value.
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by Si nj a Stötzner. Webpage: Trave lwithnashipae.com Facebook: Trave l with Naship ae
Traveling to Africa has changed my life completely. I’ve always asked myself whether I was meant to live in Africa. The desire and curiosity to explore other African countries grew every day. Back home in Germany, I could only think about going back to explore more of the continent. When I first went to Kenya in 2014, I just planned on volunteering at the local school and travelling through the country. A few days in, I was hanging out so much with the children on the streets. Even without speaking each other’s language, we found a way of communicating, and just being with them touched my heart. Seeing children smile, seeing their grace and their faith in God and the future despite their dire circumstances, some not even having a place to sleep or a warm meal, was deeply humbling. It inspired me to think about how I could support them. Soon after that, I started my own organisation to safeguard the rights of vulnerable children in Kenya. Today, I successfully run a day care centre for orphans in the biggest slum in Thika, about 50 km outside Nairobi. The kids give me a reason to work harder and to be more focused on what is important in life. So much so, that I quit my job in Germany as a teacher and moved to Kenya full time. After travelling for more than four years in Kenya, I turned my passion into a job. What really mattered to me was that whatever business I would eventually have, I want to keep supporting my organisation as well. Today, a portion of profit from ‘Travel with Nashipae’ goes directly to the organisation and I can finally give other travellers the chance I got – to volunteer and to make a difference in other people’s lives and their own. During my journey, I got the chance to live within a Maasai tribe. The experiences I made there will last for a lifetime. I experienced a lifestyle far from modernisation, without running water or electricity. But their traditions fascinated me. I got the Maasai name ‘Nashipae’ as a gift from the tribe. It means a person who is always smiling. To honour that gift and to always remember this wonderful adventure my tour and travel company has been named: ‘Travel with Nashipae’.
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Today I can proudly say that I made my dreams come true. These were dreams I didn’t even know existed, but Africa showed me the way. The funny thing is that since my childhood I’ve always wanted to teach in Germany. But Africa has opened the world to me. I discovered myself and found true happiness. Kenya affords me so many opportunities. When I think about Germany, I miss my family and friends, but there is no way for me to return to the life I once knew.
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the beautiful
by Philippa Rose-Tite
As the wheels kiss the tarmac and our smaller-than-I-would-haveliked plane touches down, I can’t believe I am finally here.
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to buy milk is taking your life in your hands as traffic lights are blatantly ignored, and speed limits seen as a challenge, this was refreshing and just a little disarming. My pause at the traffic lights after they turned green, just to check no-one jumped the light, was met with friendly he hostess opens the door and a blast of heat enters
puzzlement from the locals. That said, more than a few
the plane, immediately making me glad that I had
times over the next few days I would have to slow down,
foregone my traditional travel attire of jeans and
or sometimes come to a complete stop as a complacent
sneakers, in favour of shorts and flip-flops. As the dry
cow took a nonchalant stroll across the main roads. It’s
heat settles over my skin like a woollen blanket,
bizarre how long it can take for an uncaring bovine to
I am reminded that in fact, I am no longer
cross 4 lanes of relatively busy traffic, and don’t even get
in humid, wet Durban, but rather am in the
me started on the disorganisation of a herd of goats!
country of my father. The country I have heard about nearly every day since birth, as my Dad shared exotic and - I am sure exaggerated - stories of growing up in Molepolole, Mochudi, and Francistown, areas just outside of the capital Gaborone (or Gabs).
B
otswana is simply overflowing with various wildlife and safari options, and if you get the chance I strongly suggest you explore these. From
the achingly beautiful Okavango Delta in the north to
I want to see the country that makes my father talk with
the diverse and busy Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the
such yearning, his eyes shining with
South (which extends into South
amusement and loyalty. He talks so
Africa), there are so many options
lovingly of the people – how friendly and how open they are – and this business trip for 5 days would be the perfect opportunity for me to see this magic myself.
I
find landing in a new town just a touch discombobulating, and so to ease myself into my new
surroundings and get a little context I tend to take a Big Red Bus tour (or similar) around the city. With that luxury not available in Gaborone, I quickly make my way to the hotel, drop my bags and decide to take myself off to explore, thankfully in
I want to see the country that makes my father talk with such yearning, his eyes shining with amusement and loyalty.
my air conditioned hire-car as it’s 44 degrees outside, and I fear I may melt. Botswana itself is a country roughly the size of France,
for beautiful places to visit and experience the rapidly dwindling wildlife in Africa. Just make sure you only book with registered tour guides who endorse responsible tourism. But this trip was all business for me, so I would be staying in the capital and seeing what secrets I could uncover to make things easier for those coming to spend a few days doing business in Botswana.
I
f you’re in Gabs for business you generally won’t have a lot of time to explore the outer areas of the
city, and will need to find local places to eat and keep yourself entertained.
I, like most of us, find that well-made, aromatic coffee makes me a nicer person in the mornings, and though
with a population of around 2.2 million people, 10% of
I know the franchises can deliver I wanted to experience
whom live in the capital. It is also one of the most sparsely
the local colour, and so I found myself on Independence
populated countries in the world, with up to 70% of the
Avenue at The Daily Grind, sipping artisan made coffee
surface area taken up with the Kalahari Desert. Not the
and surveying the well-heeled clientele. The coffee here
most friendly or habitable of places to set up home. The
is seriously good, and it was my first introduction to the
country itself is laid out like a lot of African countries.
friendly locals, who chatted freely about everything
Smaller towns and villages dapple the map, with vast tracts
from the latest Eminem album to the politics of the
of uninhabitable emptiness between them.
day. Ultimately my favour for best coffee shop was torn
O
between this and of course, The No. 1 Ladies Coffee House
ne of the first things travellers need to know,
in Baratani Road. I couldn’t really help it though! A coffee
is that driving in Botswana is the easiest way
shop named after the best-selling detective series by
to get around. I was unendingly surprised
at just how law-abiding road users were, and – most unusually – I am including the minibus taxis in that assessment. Coming from South Africa where a trip
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Alexander McCall Smith, I mean come on! Of course I was going to try it, even sneaking off for an extended lunch in this busy and relaxed little venue based in the Thapong Visual Arts Centre, so you can soak in the local arts and culture after your meal.
A
surprised by the endless industry you see around
at the course this country has taken, the sunset was
you. The Botswana government has a number
suddenly upon me, and it was time to make for one of
of social investment programmes aimed at youth and
the highest vantage points in Gaborone and of course
women, designed to get people working. It’s for this reason
accompanying cocktails! I was off to the top floor of
that you will see enterprises in unusual places. Among my
iTowers South, and Table50Two, the restaurant and bar
favourites were the car washes dotted along the side of the
that is part of Room50Two Boutique Hotel.
s a foreigner to the area, you may be most
road, easy to spot because of the big green water catchment tanks. Another popular enterprise is of course food stalls
In Africa sunset can be sudden. One minute it’s blazing and sunny, and the next you’re fumbling for your keys in the dark.
The views from this dizzyingly high building are exquisite, and there is a sense of eternity as you watch
on the pavements, frequented
the sun go down over the fairly flat landscape. No doubt
by workers on foot as well as
a favourite of expats and the international communities,
those who speed up in their sleek
I settled in with my masterfully mixed Martini, to the
Mercedes and hop out for a quick
sounds of English, Tswana, French and what I think was
bite to eat and a chinwag. You
Dutch being spoken at the tables around me. Generally
need to try at least one while you
you will need to book for dinner, but make sure you get
are in town! But I have to say, my
there early enough to savour the setting sun over a very
absolute favourite was a sort of
African backdrop.
entertainment area, where a pool
There were a number of places I didn’t manage to get to,
table was set out under a sheet
but which are on my list for next time. Main Deck which is
of corrugated iron in the middle
sadly in a mall, and my unbearable dislike for mall culture
of a grassy veld. This completely
prevailed. Bull and Bush, a favourite local hang out which
captured my imagination but
does amazing things to ribs apparently as well as stocking
every time I dropped round to
craft beer, and having a certain community atmosphere
get a closer look, the area was
with farmers markets being held on the weekends, and
quiet and the cover locked on
quiz nights being a staple of their agenda.
tight! Pop in here, grab a bite and play a game or two while chatting
to the locals, and I do realise that by way of address I am not helping the ‘travel in Africa’ stereotype, but the road name is unclear. So you can find this genius spot on the same road
M
y mood when leaving Botswana was contemplative. Every single person I came across was genuine and friendly. The Batswana
love to talk about their country, this is a nation proud of its
as the Botswana Stock Exchange, and MTN, and a block
accomplishments, its people, land and essential Africanism.
away from the Botswana Tourism precinct. There’s lots of
The gentleness and open communication of the people
grass, and shop stalls. Sometimes cows.
I came across gave me a better understanding of why a man
I
like my Dad, raised in this community by a British king’s
n Africa sunset can be sudden. One minute it’s blazing
veterinary surgeon and Royal Academy trained ballerina,
and sunny, and the next you’re fumbling for your
can become best friends with a teller at the supermarket
keys in the dark. In places like Johannesburg or
before his eggs have even been scanned. It’s a country with
Lagos the city lights up the sky, making sunset just a
people from neighbouring South Africa and Zimbabwe,
little less of a surprise. But in Botswana, outside of the
which explains why my Dad has a smattering of about eight
immediate city, you can still be taken unaware. Sitting
languages which serve him well no matter where he goes
in front of the Three Dikgosi Monument marvelling
in South Africa, and which promotes a level of tolerance for people from other cultures. All of this crossed my mind as I sat in the ever so small international departures area, waiting for my plane, and when the airport marshall, by way of official communication that we were ready to board, banged on the window by the gate and yelled “Hey Mama, let’s go” I thought to myself that this is a corner of Africa worth exploring, and worth adoring.
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I grew up in Bechuanaland (now Botswana) in the 1950s and 60s. My Dad was a member of the colonial government Veterinary department, and his first posting was to Mochudi, where I began school. At the kitchen table taught by my mother and tuned in to the old Rhodesian Radio school. Homework was delivered to the train driver at Palani railway siding where the steam train would stop to take on water. The train driver would post my homework when he got to Bulawayo and feedback was given to us over the radio by the radio school teacher. I think that for my mother, the novelty of having to bake your own bread in a wood stove, light the lamps when it got dark and cope with the snakes, spiders and the leguaan that found its way into her bathroom, wore off quite quickly. She was a Royal Academy trained ballet teacher and was used to a far gentler and infinitely more civilised way of life. For my father though, life was wonderful, made up almost entirely of camping, an endless stream of animals and constant canine companions. When we were transferred to Francistown in the north of the country, life was completely different. There was a school, electric lights, water that wasn’t out of the rainwater collection tanks, Woman’s Institute on Saturdays - where a great deal of bartering took place - church and Sunday school. Francistown was surrounded by farms so the annual agricultural show was a huge event in the area. As kids we rode horses in the races for various farmers and there was an enormous amount of illicit betting. My Dad was a horseman of note having ridden all his life and played polo really well, so he always won the tent-pegging with sabre and lance - in between fulfilling his duties as judge of the livestock. Animals were a big part of our lives and when our bull terrier, Horace, was bitten by a cobra we got telegrams from all over the country. He was known by all as the “director to veterinary services” , and would sit in the front of the truck on the seat next to my Dad and peer down his elegant nose at lesser mortals while the kids sat in the back. He survived the snake bite, probably due to the local butcher sending up steak every day and the local farmers who sent milk to keep him strong! He was, though, a lover not a fighter, spending hours lying in the mint patch sniffing mint. And then it was off to Molepolole and for me, Michaelhouse, a boarding school in Natal. I can still feel the sense of anticipation before getting off the train at Gaborone station at
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around 2am and then driving home on the sand road that was ‘swept’ by the public works department tractor pulling an acacia tree behind it three times a week. Post was brought out from Gaborone once a week by the post office truck, and the area was so new we were P.O. Box 4. My Dad’s area was the size of Wales and comprised a large part of what is now the central Kalahari reserve. There were also 18 veterinary assistants posted to the area, each of whom had undergone 3 years of vet training and who were then posted to various villages in the area. Those that were posted at the more remote villages would ride from their home village to the next village on horseback, to go visiting. On one occasion, the horse and rider were attacked by lions, but fortunately, the rider fell off before the lions killed and ate the horse, leaving him with an adrenaline fuelled and long walk back to his village. His saddle, water bottle, food and rifle were later recovered off the carcass of his unfortunate mount. It was in that area that Debbie, the bull terrier who followed after Horace, jumped off the truck and took off after a herd of springbok one afternoon and got lost. We camped there for three days looking for her and then very reluctantly and with a very heavy heart had to move on. About six weeks later we got word that Debbie had been spotted in the area, and my Dad immediately drove back to the exact spot where we had camped and there she was – much thinner but alive. How she survived is a complete mystery, as the area was infested with lions, leopards, hyenas and jackals and there was not a drop of water, though we had left a small supply just in case. Molepolole was hot – really hot in the summer months. I remember
attending the investiture of Chief Kgari Sechele after his father died. Sitting in the tent with the dignitaries in my school uniform, sweltering and hearing the cattle behind us being slaughtered for the celebration to follow. Watching the district commissioner, resplendent in his white suit complete with feathered hat and sword as befits a representative of Her Majesty, the Queen of Britain, giving what seemed an endless speech. It seems quite weird now but seemed normal back then in the 60s. Life has certainly changed enormously in the last few decades.
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The finest ‘Duet’ -
PORSCHE MEETS EMBRAER by S H A N E O O ST H U I Z E N
NOT HAPPY WITH SELLING ORDINARY FOLK PORSCHE BRANDED SNEAKERS AND MARTINI RACING BOMBER JACKETS, THE MARKETING EXECUTIVES IN STUTTGART HAVE TEAMED UP WITH BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER EMBRAER TO RELEASE A ‘DUET’ COLLABORATION CATERING TO THE LA IE O M L I MILLIO AIRE
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EXCLUSIVITY IS AN ALLURING THING. Having one of only one ever made is pretty special; uniqueness is what makes it attractive. Knowing that you have the only one – or one in 10 as is the case here – means you get the ultimate in bragging rights. It puts you in a class of people who buy possessions, not because they’re expensive, but because they are unlikely to be owned by anyone else. It’s this understanding that leads the thinking behind
Gray Metallic. This will be finished with a hand-painted
Porsche’s Exclusive Manufaktur personalisation
Brilliant Chrome double trim spring along the sides and
department. The department creates ‘unique’ Porsches
doors, with Speed Blue pin-striping as an added detail.
for high-end customers wanting something removed
This little detail will also be found on the wheels, which
from the ‘run of the mill’. This time, however, Porsche has
will have been pin-striped by hand. And speaking of
partnered with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer
detailing – the individual registration number of your
for a collaboration called the ‘Duet’ that is a little more
matching jet can be found cleverly hidden on the Porsche’s
exclusive than most.
retractable rear wing, and on the key, for good measure.
The special edition in question is based on the 2021
Get inside, and you’ll immediately notice the Porsche’s
Porsche 911 Turbo S. Only 10 of these ultra-exclusive
door sills feature ‘No step’ lettering illuminated in red –
models will be produced – but you’ll need to buy a
as would be found on the wings of most aircraft, with a
matching Embraer Phenom 300E private jet to own one.
custom logo, inspired by the wing of the Phenom 300E,
The price? Upwards of $11-million.
found on the seat headrests.
Here’s what you’ll get for your hard-earned s(c)hillings. Your 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S will feature a number
The interior of the Porsche features leather trim in a combination of black and chalk, carried over onto the
of styling cues to link it to its matching Phenom 300E
steering wheel, with the 12 o’clock markings also in blue.
jet. The most obvious of these is a unique two-tone paint
The Sport Chrono’s dial features the image of the horizon
finish, boasting Platinum Silver Metallic together with Jet
to simulate the gyroscope in the jet’s cockpit. Like all 2021 911 Turbo S models, the Duet version is powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged flat 6 which churns out a monstrous 640 hp and an earth-twisting 590 torques, mated to Porsche’s 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. This is good for a blistering 0-100 kph sprint time of only 2.6 seconds and a top speed well north of 300 kph. Porsche will also throw in a matching luggage set and a custom version of the 1919 UTC Globetimer wristwatch from Porsche Design, which quite fittingly, has the ability to switch time zones at the push of a button. As for the Embraer, owners can expect a range of about 2 000 nautical miles and an altitude of 45 000 feet. This comes courtesy of two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E1 engines with 3 478 pounds of thrust each. The Embraer 300E also happens to be the most delivered private jet in the world since 2013 and holds the accolade of being
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the fastest and longest-range single-pilot business jet available, capable of speeds up to Mach 0.80. This means you can cover a 3 000 km trip in a little under three hours. It is also the first and only business jet to have a runway overrun awareness and alerting system, which
Now, while most Embraer owners wouldn’t need to
acts as an additional pilot, providing a warning if the
worry about that particular feature, they will no doubt
runway approach is too steep or too fast. Pilots also benefit
relish the superior comfort of being seated in swathes
from enhanced comfort while flying their employers
of utter luxury inside the cabin. Designed around what
around the world with seats that can be pushed back
Embraer calls ‘intelligent design’, the cabin boasts a
approximately 40% more than any other private jet,
seamless integration of style, technology, quality, and
providing more legroom.
purposeful functionality. Not to mention the largest windows in the class. It also boasts a better than first-class private lavatory, refreshment centre, and wardrobe.
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Now, while most Embraer owners wouldn’t need to worry about that particular feature, they will no doubt relish the superior comfort of being seated in swathes of utter luxury inside the cabin. Innovative technology abounds, dominated by Embraer’s exclusive upper tech panel. Here, passengers can control every aspect of their experience, complete with touch controls, downwash lighting, unique flush gaspers, and an optional drop-down monitor – with software sourced from Lufthansa Technik. For superior comfort and mobility, the Phenom 300E’s seats feature enhanced headrests, retractable armrests, and adjustable thigh bolsters. Of course, they are finished in the same two-tone leather and custom stitching as found in the 911. If ever there was a time for partnerships such as this, it’s during a pandemic where demand for private aircraft is high and the public’s trust in commercial air travel is low. So next time you are at a loss for a birthday present for the man or woman who has everything, now you know. A matching Embraer and Porsche will probably do nicely!
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a little sexy in your
There are many who criticise the SUV. Most say you’ll get more space in a big estate car. They’ll argue that the majority of SUVs will never live up to their Sport Utility credentials and that most people only buy them for the street cred. That’s not the case for the Mercedes GLC 43 AMG, writes Shane Oosthuizen.
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rom CEOs to soccer moms and celebrities to gangsters, the SUV is here to stay. Why else would Mercedes-Benz offer no less than nine different SUV models in its lustrous lineup? Count them down with me - GLA, GLB, GLC, GLC Coupe, GLE, GLE Coupe, G-Class, GLS, and the ultra-exclusive Mercedes Maybach GLS. Each has an offering unique unto itself, with the gangster-esque G-Class AMG still holding firm in the street-cred stakes. The SUV, or Sport Utility Vehicle, garners a love-it-orhate-it opinion everywhere you go. On some sides, you’ll have drivers advocating their practicality and go-anywhere ability. Others will denounce those claims, saying SUVs are slow and too big to be user-friendly. And if they are engineered to be fast, they’re too cumbersome, heavy on fuel and don’t handle well. However, there is a new sporty, luxury SUV in town which is turning these arguments upside down. The 2020 GLC 43 AMG slots in under the brutal V8powered GLC 63 AMG as a less-powerful, but equally enjoyable, sporty offering. Now, one doesn’t often pair the words ‘sporty’ and ‘SUV’ in the same sentence, but the GLC 43 AMG doesn’t leave driving enthusiasts wanting for more. As with any AMG-badged Merc, the typical niceties abound. The cabin is well-appointed with the latest in-car gadgetry and swathes of exotic material. In fact, it’s an extremely comfortable place to be indeed. That’s not the reason why you choose an AMG though – it’s all about the engine and the drive. Under that gorgeously sculpted bonnet is a 385 hp twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6, capable of a sub-5 second 0-100 launch. This really is the GLC 43’s trump card when compared to similar vehicles in its class – a more characterful V6 you will not find in any stable. Like most turbo’d motors, there is a hint of turbo lag when
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you initially press the accelerator into the carpet, but as the tachometer swings towards the red line, power builds with a satisfyingly raspy V6 growl. The grunt is sent to an AMGtuned 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, with a fixed rear-wheel bias, rocketing the big Merc forward with a relentless surge. The power plant is also mated to a super-slick shifting 9-speed automatic transmission. Merc built a great one here, by keeping the lower 5 gear ratios tightly spaced to allow that V6 to stay within its desired power band, while the top 3 cogs keep revs low at highway speeds. Responses from the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters aren’t exactly Porsche PDC instant, but are more than fast enough. In Comfort mode, shifts are practically imperceptible but deliver a satisfying punch in Sport Plus. The latter provides added drama when fitted with the optional performance exhaust package, which delivers a loud crack with changing up and enlivens downshifts with a series of pops and crackles. Correspondingly, the steering is tight and accurate, much faster than you’d expect from a high-riding SUV. Engaging Sport Handling mode enhances things even further, tightening up the steering response. It’s not all good news though. Thanks to 21-inch wheels, the GLC 43 AMG does ride a little hard with notable tyre noise from the low-profile rubber. Nonetheless, the adaptive suspension’s road insulation is quite good. It communicates what’s going on beneath you without letting too many imperfections intrude. Naturally, Comfort mode does relax things a bit. In any suspension setting, however, body roll is notably absent even with its high centre of gravity. Like with any big, heavy crossover, the biggest bugbear comes when you’re scrubbing off speed. The GLC 43 AMG’s brakes are its main dynamic letdown. While the brake rotors and calipers are the usual AMG fare, they seem a little daunted by the big Merc’s heft. Stopping quickly requires a proper effort and lacks the feel you’d associate with the AMG badge. Now to the interior. Inside the GLC 43 AMG, there is the usual opulence you’d expect when it comes to fit and finish. It’s the typical first-class cabin experience, decked out in layers of softtouch textures and premium materials. This is a good thing,
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as past big Mercs sometimes battled to seem a step above smaller Mercedes crossovers. This is further enhanced by AMG-specific interior upgrades which include a leather-wrapped AMG steering wheel,
While the engine is any AMG’s standout feature, the GLC 43 AMG produces more than enough clout to induce grins and obliterate speed limits.
illuminated door sills, and colourchanging ambient lighting. Buyers can also opt for red leather and carbonfibre trim panels to bolster the AMG’s
range of information covering any and every vehicle
sporting credentials.
function. AMG-specific readouts like real-time engine
Regardless of the accoutrements, the GLC 43 AMG makes a practical
output and a gimmicky G-force meter seem slightly out of place but enhance the experience.
and enjoyable daily driver. Standard
Unless you equate excess with value, the GLC 43 AMG
amenities include a power-operated
is the better choice when looking to put an AMG-badged
boot, keyless entry with push-button
SUV in your garage. While the engine is any AMG’s
start, and heated front seats. Headroom
standout feature – particularly the 6.3-litre V8s of old – the
and legroom are ample, and it has
V6 unit in the GLC 43 AMG produces more than enough
generous cargo space. This is helped
clout to induce grins and obliterate speed limits.
along with 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats. While seated behind the tiller, an
Its real joy, however, is the seamless blend of everyday usable performance with more than enough luxury to satisfy all tastes. The GLC 43 AMG is a compelling and
optional 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster complements the
balanced prospect, offering better value for money than its
standard 10.3-inch MBUX infotainment touchscreen. This
V8 stable mate.
allows the driver to toggle through a vast, reconfigurable
In truth, if you simply must have a sporty and luxurious compact crossover, which is capable of doing the daily grind, and yet has the guts to challenge most other cars off the line, the GLC 43 AMG is all you’ll ever need.
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KING LEAR OF C ALLE ER 600 by Ro b G o b a c
Business jet flight was once associated primarily with an extravagant lifestyle. Now, it’s an essential mode of transport for many business professionals and private individuals who want the reliability of airliners, combined with the comfort and safety of moderntech business jets.
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THE SKIES
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istorically the cost of developing private jets capable of flying fast and far was prohibitive, and so comfort - even perhaps fuel and maintenance - were ‘compromised’. Although this is no longer the case, we should perhaps consider the ‘journey’ private air travel has taken. In the early 1970s, Bill Lear, the father of the renowned Learjet (and inventor of the first car radio – his slightly lesser-known accomplishment), had conceptualised the prototype ‘Lear Star 600’ business jet. Canadair accepted the project and using Bill’s personal ties with the then future prime minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien, the company helped fund the further development of the ‘Lear Star 600’. In the late ‘70s, Canadair (which was later purchased by Bombardier Airspace) dropped Bill Lear and proceeded with the development of the Challenger 600 series aircraft without him. In 1978, the first test flight was performed,
COM OR ABLE A D L RIO E C ALLE ER 600 I O E O O E RARE AIRCRA I A ADORI BLIC I BO ILO LO E O L EM A D A E ER O LO E O L I EM
O
wowing its audience, and by the early 1980s, commercial
airfoil (or wings) were designed for business jets, allowing
production had begun.
the Challenger 600 excellent economy while retaining
The Challenger 600 was, and in many aspects, remains,
speed and range.
one-of-a-kind. It was the first aircraft that offered a wide
At the time of writing, 1 100 Challenger 600 series
body, airliner style cabin with ‘walk about’ experience for
aircraft have been manufactured and have logged some
its passengers. Apart from providing additional comfort to
7.3 million flying hours over 4.5 million flights. These
its passengers, it was also the first time that supercritical
impressive statistics ensure that the Challenger 600 holds the position as leader in the business jet industry. Comfortable and luxurious, the Challenger 600 is one of those rare aircraft with an adoring public in both pilots – who love to fly them – and passengers who love to fly in them. Even as a more economical mid-size business jet, it has impressive performance. It cruises at 41 000 feet at 443 knots (some 820 km/h) and achieves a range of 2 909 nautical miles while still complying with regulations and fuel reserves. This remarkable performance is achieved by two turbofan Lycoming ALF 502 L engines with thrust reversers and four sources of backup power, as well as an APU (auxiliary power unit) that provides the ever-needed ‘redundancy’ as well as power and air-conditioning, while the engines are shut down and the aircraft is parked. With a maximum take-off weight of 41 250 pounds, it requires only 1 737 metres of runway at sea level and a mere 930 metres of runway elsewhere to complete
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landing at maximum landing weight. Even though the Challenger 600 was released before EFIS was available (electronic flight instrument system – what pilots like to call the ‘glass cockpit’), its electromechanical instrumentation was welldesigned and reliable. Most of the Challengers flying today will have one or another modification to their instrumentation panels, with partial or full EFIS panels installed. The flight deck is spacious with well-placed instruments and controls, and even though it might lack Bombardier’s more modern, ergonomic layout, it’s in no way uncomfortable. Nose wheel steering is operated by tiller, which allows for improved manoeuvrability of this 21 metre-long aircraft (with an elegant 20 metre wingspan) in the confined spaces of crowded, modern airports. The passenger cabin is around 1 146 metric feet of space (some 350 cubic metres) and boasts a forward galley and, ordinarily, an 11-seat configuration. The seats are designed in club seating configuration with a divan at the back and a spacious lavatory separated by wall and lockable door
As a pilot, I feel privileged to have an opportunity to
from the rest of the cabin. In this 8.2 by 6.1 foot cabin,
fly this beautiful aircraft and enjoy every aspect of its
luxury is all but humble. There is a noticeable feeling
comfort, safety and performance.
of space in the Challenger 600, equivalent to a rather
I am looking forward to having you on board our
comfortable lounge, and distinguishable from the typically
Challenger, and sharing with you the pure pleasure of
cramped, business-jet-cabin-feel of its competitors.
business jet flying in this magnificent aircraft.
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UNITED CHARTER WELCOMES THE BOMBARDIER CL 604 TO OUR STABLE
IDEAL
FLIGHTS
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CITY PAIRING
DISTANCE
FLIGHT TIME
Lanseria – Lagos (Nigeria)
2 415nm / 4 474km
5h 33min
Lanseria – Seychelles
2 033nm / 3 767km
4h 38min
Lanseria – Male (Maldives)
3 207nm / 5 942km
7h 12min
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uring the 80s, the business jet industry was booming across the world. Successful manufacturers were looking for jets that would fly further and faster, while maintaining the standard of comfort which had been set by aircraft like the Challenger, Gulfstreams and Falcons. In 1986, Bombardier pursued a well-known brand that hung in the balance due to financial difficulties and technological advancements that had left it languishing behind its peers: Canadair. Bombardier managed not only to rescue the company, but to expand its production of the Challenger family of aircraft and to start the development of a new era of business jets, with increased levels of safety, comfort, and economy. In 1995, the CL 604 was born. This was the new generation business jet, which retained the comfort of the cabins of its predecessors Challenger 600 and 601, but installed new engines from General Electric, CF34-3B, which offered the longer range of up to 7 400 km in about eight hours of nonstop flight at speeds of up to 854 km/h. A new undercarriage was installed, allowing it to have a higher takeoff and landing mass due to its capacity to carry an increased amount of fuel and equipment. Its avionics were replaced with the now-iconic Rockwell Collins PrecisionPlus Proline 4 system, known for its reliability and functionality not only on business jets but also on many modern airlines. As expected from Bombardier, further development of the Challenger aircraft family saw the first delivery of the CL 605 in 2006. Its list of impressive features is wide-ranging: larger passenger windows, a new tail cone, an impressive, updated cockpit with Collins Proline 21 avionic system and electronic flight bag capability, which has marked the beginning of the ‘paperless’ cockpit. This update has allowed pilots to enjoy a friendly and functional system, providing for an even safer and more comfortable operation of this magnificent aircraft.
UNITED CHARTER SERVICES CL 604 AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS This long range, large private jet is perfect for long flights of between six and eight hours. A spacious, quiet, and comfortable cabin combines beautifully with luxurious finishes making this jet the flawless option for European charters as it only requires one stop.
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Crew
3 (2 Pilots, 1 Cabin Attendant)
Passengers
9
Engines
2
Non-Stop Range
3 700nm / 6 845km
Speed
850 km/h
Max Cruise Altitude
37 000 feet
Full Galley
Yes, full
Baggage Bay
Yes, accessible during flight
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& THE AIR AMBULANCE BOOM
IF THERE WAS A MOMENT WHEN THE BURGEONING AIR AMBULANCE MARKET CAME INTO ITS OWN, IT WAS FOLLOWING THE ARRIVAL OF COVID-19. Even before the pandemic, demand for air ambulances was expected to grow – but the introduction of travel restrictions between countries changed the game overnight. For insight into how this happened, take the story of Abdul Rashid Sahari (64) and his wife Safiah (56). For 20 years, Sahari had been working in Jakarta in Indonesia as a quality control officer for a power plant, according to The Straits Times. But the couple wanted to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary in their home country, Singapore, along with their daughter and three grandchildren. A fancy dinner was planned, travel arrangements were made, and the family was gleefully anticipating the reunion.
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Then Rashid and Safiah both caught Covid. While Safiah’s condition soon stabilised, Rashid’s went downhill fast, and he was eventually admitted to a private hospital in Jakarta on December 3rd. “What started with him still fighting through and smiling for the family in video calls became video calls of him struggling to breathe,” said his son-in-law Haikel Fahim. The family realised they had to get him back home “to give him a better fighting chance”. But with commercial air travel impossible for the seriously ill Rashid, the family realised an emergency air evacuation was the only option. It wouldn’t be cheap though. “The family has used Rashid’s retirement savings and needed further help,” said Fahim. So, they set up a blog, detailing Rashid’s illness and what had happened, to ask for help raising the $64 000 needed for an air ambulance, his hospitalisation, and rehabilitation. Unexpectedly, donors flooded the website, and thousands came in, shooting past the original $64 000 goal. It meant Rashid could be airlifted back to Singapore on a private jet retrofitted with medical equipment. From there, he was put into the ICU and intubated. The photographs on Fahim’s blog trace Rashid’s progress, from
THE FAMILY REALISED THEY HAD TO GET HIM BACK HOME “TO GIVE HIM A BETTER FIGHTING CHANCE”. BUT WITH COMMERCIAL AIR TRAVEL IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE SERIOUSLY ILL RASHID, THE FAMILY REALISED AN EMERGENCY AIR EVACUATION WAS THE ONLY OPTION.
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an initially dispiriting sight, strapped up in an ICU, to far
2019. But more relevant is that it expects that market to
more encouraging ones where it now looked as though the
grow by about 9.3% per year, between 2019 and 2027.
story might end well after all. By mid-December, Rashid had begun to speak again. As Fahim said, although “he’s still in ICU, with a nasogastric tube for feeding, he’s looking a lot better”. The point is that without an air ambulance, Rashid would have remained stuck in Jakarta, away from his family, and
This growth is due, in part, to the fact that medical insurance providers are now increasingly willing to cover at least part of air ambulance expenses. In South Africa, there are only 14 air ambulance operators approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. One of those, Owenair, is owned by United Aviation
in a far more vulnerable position, one possibly leading to a
Group and is the exclusive Air Ambulance service provider
much more tragic ending.
to International SOS and Air Rescue Africa for, but not
In recent months, you can read many variations of this story. With lockdowns and quarantine now the order of the day across the globe, the air ambulance market is booming. Recent research by Coherent Market Insights put the size of the global air ambulance market at $4.5-billion by
limited to, the Sub-Saharan region.
UNEXPECTED COMPLICATIONS OF COVID-19 International SOS has been run off its feet during the pandemic. At this point, it has “assisted over 55 000 Covid-19 related cases, performed over 750 air ambulance movements for Covid-19 and other patients, and operated 32 charters with over 2 000 passengers from 146 countries”. Evidently, the company knows what it’s doing. In its 35year history, it has handled sensitive evacuations from the remotest places, such as offshore oil rigs and small islands. Its record includes being called in to do evacuations during the SARS epidemic in 2003, the Sri Lankan Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, the Japanese nuclear fallout emergency in 2011, and the Ebola epidemic in 2014. And yet, despite all this experience, Covid-19 was still a shock to the system. Dr Rahul Kalia, medical director for International SOS in India, said the way Covid-19 has evolved in recent months was “very surprising and caught most of us off
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UNITED AVIATION GROUP, FOR EXAMPLE, SINCE ITS FIRST MEDEVAC IN 0 6 A COM LE ED 46 LI A D 4 6 LI O R A DI O O M C I DEMA D A I A AIR AMB LA CE BA ED I BO O A E B R O A RICA A D ACCRA E CA I AL O A A guard, individuals and organisations”. One complication was that it wasn’t just Covid-19 patients who needed help. Often the travel restrictions implemented to curb the pandemic led to other problems, requiring evacuation. For example, in the middle of the year, International SOS was asked to evacuate a 46-year-old Kenyan man working in Kandahar in Afghanistan, who’d had a pulmonary embolism. He’d initially been sent to a military clinic, but with so many travel restrictions in place, it had become tricky to get him to a regional hospital when his illness had worsened. Still, Kalia said, if there’s been one positive outcome to emerge from Covid-19, it’s that technology will become a far more fundamental part of healthcare in future. Air ambulances, clearly, will be at the front of that queue, as demand soars. United Aviation Group, for example, since its first medevac in 2016, has completed 461 flights and 3 486 flight hours and is now so much in demand that it has air ambulances based in both Johannesburg, South Africa, and Accra, the capital of Ghana.
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ICU IN THE SKY Those who’ve never been in an air ambulance – and that’s most of us – would want to know exactly how such an aircraft is kitted out. Owenair’s Hawker business jet air ambulances, for one, are state-of-the-art. Besides portable ultrasound equipment, cardiac monitors with defibrillators and pacemakers, infusion pumps and syringe drivers, they even carry universal donor blood. For an infectious disease like Covid-19, the aircraft also has an “isolation medical unit,” as well as adult, paediatric and neonatal intensive care ventilators. Owenair can “dispatch an Air Ambulance Rescue flight worldwide, within 2-3 hours of activation, using a dedicated Flight Crew who are highly trained and experienced”. After a year in which the importance of medical technology has been profoundly demonstrated — leading to the creation of the fastest vaccines ever developed — we really do need to ask why air ambulances have taken so long to catch on in the public imagination.
EACH OF OUR EXCLUSIVE OWENAIR OPERATED AIR AMBULANCE AIRCRAFT IS E UIPPED WITH THE FOLLOWING: • Portable Ultrasound • Powered Lifeport™
Stretchers with built-in long range oxygen supply • Adult, paediatric and neonatal intensive care ventilators • Cardiac Monitors
efibrillators with pacemaker, 12 lead ECG, Spo2, CO2 • n-flight arterial blood gas analysis • Invasive and non-invasive blood pressure monitoring
• Infusion pumps and
syringe drivers • Suction units with backup • Standard, rescue/ immobilisation equipment and vacuum mattresses • Patient Isolation Medical
Unit – for transportable VHF, ovid- , vian flu or other infectious diseases • Thrombolytics and snake bite anti-venom • Universal donor blood when required
For a highly competitive and reliable service, using a dedicated fleet of expertly equipped Air Ambulance aircraft, contact International ( perated by wenair). For an immediate response, call 27 11 541 1300.
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Seduced by The Skies by Sebastian Bartlett
Jonathan Wolpe may just have Jet-A1 fuel flowing through his veins. Not because of a fiery demeanour – he comes across as grounded and measured, choosing his words with care – but rather because of his passion and commitment to shaking up Africa’s aviation industry.
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 144
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or the past two decades Wolpe, founder and chief executive officer of United Charter Services and later the United Aviation Group, has made his mark both on the ground – pioneering new service offerings in the world of private aviation – and blazing innovative contrails across African skies. After finishing his tertiary studies in marketing, Wolpe started his training as a commercial pilot in 1999, but quickly grew disillusioned with the lack of opportunities open to young pilots in Southern Africa. However, showing trademark ingenuity and entrepreneurial flair he quickly identified a gap in the regional aviation market, launching Africa’s first aviation charter brokerage in 2000. Unlike traditional charter firms, which own and operate their own aircraft, when Wolpe launched United Charter Services (UCS) at the turn of the millennium it was with a bold vision for a new type of aviation company. As a broker, rather than operator, Wolpe could offer private charter clients a wider choice of aircraft, alongside unheard-of flexibility, cost-savings, and convenience. “The distinct advantage of a brokerage like UCS is that you don’t have high overheads, or all the complexities of aircraft licensing,” explains Wolpe. “Instead, you have the ability and flexibility to understand the client’s precise needs and requirements, with the insights and experience
“TO DATE WE’VE PROBABLY HAD MORE ENQUIRIES THAN ACTUAL CONVERSIONS INTO FLIGHTS, BUT WHAT’S INTERESTING TO US IS THAT HERE’S A WHOLE NEW MARKET SEGMENT OPENING UP, AND A NEW NICHE WHICH UCS IS PERFECTLY PLACED TO SERVE.”
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to present them with the ideal solution for their specific flying requirements.” It’s a jaded traveller who doesn’t relish the glamour of travel by private jet, but for Wolpe the primary focus of UCS is on ensuring a seamless journey for the client. “We focus on the efficiency, not the glamour,” says Wolpe. “It’s certainly a wonderful way to travel, but I don’t believe that is the key to unlocking value in private aviation. It’s about the convenience and the flexibility, and how we can help the client to accomplish what they’re trying to achieve.” The need for expert knowledge is even more acute in Africa, where the aviation landscape is not as defined, nor the regulations as clear-cut, as other parts of the world. “Private aviation in Africa definitely has its own nuances, and an understanding of the market, as well as the technicalities in planning a private flight, are crucial. That’s where United Charter Services always proves its worth. We’re a brokerage with extensive experience, and an in-depth knowledge of the aviation landscape, so we can always offer the perfect solution in terms of aircraft and routing,” he says. To drive that philosophy of customer-centric service, throughout the evolution of UCS, the focus has been on keeping the company lean and efficient. “We’re a technology driven company,” adds Wolpe, who – from the very beginning – has poured huge energy and investment into building bespoke flight management software, custom-designed to streamline the UCS business and improve client service.
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CONSTANTLY CLIMBING TO NEW HEIGHTS Over the past 20 years UCS has continually evolved in both its service offering and its client base. While initially focused on corporate travel, increasingly UCS is sought after by celebrities and high-net-worth individuals looking to avoid the inconvenience of commercial aviation. The preference for the privacy of air charters was certainly thrown into stark contrast in 2020, with both corporate and private clients looking for a Covid-safe alternative to scheduled commercial flights. “To date we’ve probably had more enquiries than actual conversions into flights, but what’s interesting to us is that here’s a whole new market segment opening up, and a new niche which UCS is perfectly placed to serve.” During the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020, UCS also played a pivotal role in providing last-minute private aviation services for a wide range of corporate clients, working to find loopholes in the system to create miracles in order to repatriate workers stranded abroad. “When Covid-19 started and people around the world couldn’t get home to family, friends or their businesses, the private aviation market went crazy in terms of enquiries,” remembers Wolpe. “But flying privately is exceptionally expensive, and it was extremely difficult to get charter flights in the air.” However, with their unrivalled experience in African aviation, Wolpe and the UCS team worked wonders to arrange landing permits, flight plans and permissions to get their clients home. “Governments certainly made things very difficult, but the entire team at UCS really went out of their way to carefully interpret the regulations, and we managed to find solutions for those clients in a position to arrange private travel,” says Wolpe. Those clients were also varied, and far-flung, from dive crews salvaging a ship off Mozambique, to a corporate entity with rotational staff stranded in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. “That particular flight took three weeks to organise,” recalls Wolpe. “But we took care of getting the clients a hotel in Abuja, assisted them all the way through the crisis, put the permissions in place, and got them on an aircraft home.” For the staff members stranded in a foreign country, there was enormous relief at being reunited with friends and family. For Wolpe and the team at UCS it was just another day at the office, working flat-out to get clients up in the air and en route to their destination. While the global lockdowns due to Covid-19 have since kept many clients at home, in the post-pandemic world the impact and value of private aviation has certainly been further affirmed. “Although our corporate business has slowed down, we are confident it will return in 2021, but we have noticed a definite increase in the number of VIP and high-net-worth individuals who are opting for private aviation, where they may in the past have considered a commercial airline.”
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“ALTHOUGH OUR CORPORATE BUSINESS HAS SLOWED DOWN, WE ARE CONFIDENT IT WILL RETURN IN 2021, BUT WE HAVE NOTICED A DEFINITE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VIP AND HIGH-NETWORTH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OPTING FOR PRIVATE AVIATION, WHERE THEY MAY IN THE PAST HAVE CONSIDERED A COMMERCIAL AIRLINE.”
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 150
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 152
“…A FULLY-FLEDGED ALL-ENCOMPASSING AVIATION COMPANY…” Though UCS has revolutionised the regional charter market with its innovative brokerage model, in 2008 it made the bold choice to broaden its offering with the purchase of an established charter company, Owenair. With a seven-decade track record in African aviation to uphold, “we consider ourselves the custodian, not the owners, of Owenair,” says Wolpe. The acquisition of Owenair added a dynamic new element to UCS; now able to offer both its own managed and operated aircraft and those from its broader brokerage network. That included Owenair’s respected air ambulance services through its partnership with International SOS and Air Rescue Africa which is widely regarded as one of the finest medical evacuation specialists in Africa. With a fleet of aircraft added to the fold, Wolpe expanded the company further in establishing United Flight Support, providing fuel and operational support to both its own aircraft and other aircraft owners and operators flying into the region. And as the expensive hardware on the home front grew, and the need to look after it kept pace, it was a natural evolution for Wolpe to
“WITH OUR NEW FACILITIES IN PLACE WE SEE STRONG DEMAND FOR OUR MAINTENANCE AND FIXED OPERATING BASE BUSINESS AT LANSERIA, AND WE’RE WORKING AGGRESSIVELY TO INCREASE THE CHARTER BUSINESS; BOTH OUR SHARE OF THE MARKET AND OVERALL DEMAND.”
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launch United Aircraft Maintenance in 2020. “Launching an AMO and Fixed Base Operator was really the final piece needed to cement United Aviation Group as a fully fledged all-encompassing aviation company,” says Wolpe. In mid-2020 United Aircraft Maintenance opened the doors to its custom-built 2500m2 hangar at Lanseria International Airport on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. Though the current hangar is already capable of handling service and maintenance functions for most large jet aircraft, perhaps unsurprisingly Wolpe has bigger ambitions. In 2021 United will expand into a second 2500m2 hangar which, with an additional three metres of roof height, will allow United Aircraft Maintenance to accommodate the largest executive jets in the skies, right up to the impressive Dassault Falcon and Bombardier Global Express. It’s a bold new step into the future, and looking ahead to the rest of the decade Wolpe is bullish about the prospects for both private aviation, and the fortunes of United Aviation Group. “With our new facilities in place we see strong demand for our maintenance and fixed operating base business at Lanseria, and we’re working aggressively to increase the charter business; both our share of the market and overall demand.” Two decades after Wolpe sent tremors through the industry with his blue-sky thinking, it appears the engines of innovation are revving up once more.
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UNITED AVIATION GROUP
Hangar and Maintenance “Form follows function – that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.” Frank Lloyd Wright
THE UNITED AVIATION GROUP HEAD OFFICE IS BASED AT LANSERIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN OUR OWN HANGAR, launched in 2019. Our offices are located alongside the hangar area, as are our executive customer areas – such as our 12-seater Boeing boardroom which is available for our customers as well as a beautifully appointed executive lounge and relaxation facility. Though our main office and lounges are in the luxurious hangar, our guests have access to our executive departure lounge which can be found in the main terminal building in Lanseria International Airport for international departures.
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OUR HANGAR United Aviation Group’s state-of-the-art 2 500m2 space is the final word in full FBO (fixed-base operator) services for domestic and international customers. Able to accommodate several large business jets concurrently, the hangar has been equipped with the latest in tooling, equipment and technology from all over the world, ensuring premium Maintenance and Hangaring services. Just as with all other aspects of United Aviation Group, our hangar is run with precision and dedication to service excellence, but also with a view to continuous improvement. It is with this in mind that the next steps for the hangar have been planned with an expansion in the offing which will double the size of the hangar space and will allow United Aviation Group to cater for even the biggest of corporate jets such as the Bombardier Global Express and Dassault Falcon. If it’s more than just hangaring services that you’re after, the United Aviation Group Maintenance Division offers fully comprehensive maintenance services to owners, operators and VIP clients. Certified with the CAA of South Africa as an AMO (Approved Maintenance Organisation) and MRO (Maintenance Repair Overhaul) organisation, our team will ensure we get your aircraft into the sky as quickly, safely and cost-effectively as possible. Specialising in Business Jet and Turbo propeller aircraft maintenance, our professional, expert team of aircraft maintenance engineers, led by Werner Nothnagel, have considerable aircraft maintenance experience gained from both military and private sector experience.
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 156
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 158
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OUR MAINTENANCE United Aviation Group Maintenance Division provides competitively priced maintenance for the Hawker HS-125 series, Challenger 600/601/604, Gulfstream GIIB/GIII and Beechcraft King Air 200 & 300 and various other types of aircraft. United Aviation Group is committed to making aircraft maintenance simple and safe for our customers. Our service offering is constantly expanding and our maintenance services can be used on an ongoing or once-off basis, with unique packages built to suit our customers.
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 160
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OUR EXPERTISE AND SERVICES INCLUDE;
• Aircraft repair and maintenance
• Aircraft modifications, modernisation and upgrades • Pre-purchase inspections and reporting • Avionics maintenance, installations and repairs • Structural repairs • Component repairs • Communications maintenance • Autopilot maintenance • Navigation system maintenance • Transponder testing and certification • Aircraft maintenance reporting • Annual instrument inspections • Stall-warning systems maintenance • Annual/hourly aircraft inspections • Non-destructive testing • Unscheduled AOG (aircraft on ground) maintenance
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THE BOEING BOARDROOM Also based in our dedicated hangar is our executive suite featuring our Boeing Boardroom. This elegantly designed space includes hi-tech video conferencing, voice conferencing, sound and lighting and is perfect for that quick meeting before you board your flight to your next destination. Coffee from a one of a kind in South Africa imported Italian coffee machine, and 5* catering is available to augment your experience. Many executives need to be able to make calls and join in on meetings till the very last second on the ground and our Boeing Boardroom caters for their needs perfectly.
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 166
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INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE EXECUTIVE LOUNGES Our beautifully appointed, luxurious lounges at Lanseria, Cape Town and Oliver Tambo international airports cater for your every travel need. A vintage aviation theme is complemented by state-of-the-art multi-media and internet facilities to keep you connected while in transit. Indulge in select South African and International wines chosen by our knowledgeable, qualified sommeliers, or sip on freshly brewed coffee while nibbling on gourmet snacks. Enjoy being spoiled by the exceptional service from your own personal host or hostess.
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 168
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 170
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UNITED CHARTER AIRCRAFT SPECS CITATION MUSTANG
A business et that has been specifically designed with the new et-set in mind. Comfortable club seating is the order of the day, and given the ample external and aft baggage areas, there is no need to pack light. This plane has true et speed that will chew 630km in an hour and keep doing so over a three-hour period. It e ortlessly combines e ciency, performance, and a great, sleek look. PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-5 PAX
CABIN HEIGHT
1.37 M
MAXIMUM SPEED
772 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
2150 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
2 SHORT-RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
United Charter Services is proud to be a leading brand on the African continent, having flown an extensive number of global government officials, ministers, state presidents, celebrities, mining executives and corporate executives to almost every corner of Africa, Europe, China and the United States of America. With a firm focus on simplifying complex travel needs, and a belief in offering services to suit all of our passengers, United Charter Services can provide solutions that range from light aircraft and helicopter transfers to global air cargo and executive travel. Our extensive fleet ensures that we can accommodate all your needs irrespective of where you may be based. Our flexible scheduling and personalised service will ensure that whether you are flying for business or pleasure, your experience will be effortless and relaxed. United Charter has access to an unparalleled fleet of aircraft, including modern wide-bodied, luxury jets from the Falcon, Challenger and Gulfstream series, all with intercontinental capability and customised seating for up to 15 passengers. For larger parties, specific long-range airliners such as the V.I.P. Boeings and Airbus aircraft, specially configured for between 25 and 100 passengers, are also available for charter. PLEASE NOTE: The following list is just a snapshot of the available aircraft we have on offer. For a full list and specifications on fixed wing, turbo props, helicopters and cargo aircraft, please view our website on: www.unitedcharter.co.za
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BEECHCRAFT KING AIR 200
BEECHCRAFT 1900 C/D
The Beechcraft King Air might just be the world’s most popular turboprop aircraft. Originally developed as a compromise between piston-engine and jet aircraft, the King Air flies further than a piston-driven engine can, and lands on runways far shorter than a jet can handle. This T-tail, twinengine, craft remains a firm favourite in commercial and civil aviation, as well as with military buyers.
The big brother of the King Air 200, the Beechcraft 1900 was developed for the regional airline market. The lengthy fuselage (there is stand-up head room in the D model), powerful engines, modified tail with tailets and stabilons on the lower rear fuselage, o er improved comfort and hot and high performance.
PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-10 PAX
CABIN HEIGHT
1.8 M
PASSENGER CAPACITY MAX LOAD (TONNES)
1.95T
MAXIMUM SPEED
518 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
460 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
2500 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
2000 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
2
FLIGHT DECK CREW
MID RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE TURBOPROP
2 MID RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE TURBOPROP
BOMBARDIER LEAR ET 4
BOMBARDIER LEAR ET 60
A ‘private’ high-quality jet that combines new technology with a tried and tested design; the cruise performance is fabulous, and it handles exceptionally well. One can swivel, recline, or track in the comfortable cabin space that includes a dedicated temperature control system separate to the cockpit, fold-down tables, and a noise level that does not exceed 72dB.
The Learjet 60 serves a niche market for jets that climb to cruise altitude quickly, have an impressive cruise speed, operate economically and of course, are exceptionally reliable. It has the largest cabin in the Learjet line and has added space where it counts the most. The aircraft was built using NASA/Boeing Tranair CFD software, resulting in a particularly aerodynamic design.
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1-8 PAX 1.5 M
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1-6 PAX 1.73 M
MAXIMUM SPEED
860 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
850 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
3350 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
4000 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
2 MID RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
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19 PAX
FLIGHT DECK CREW
2 MID RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 176
BEECHCRAFT HA ER 00
BEECHCRAFT HA ER 900
The awker 00 (a variant of the awker 00) o ers improved payload capabilities, enhanced performance, and updated systems. Two TFE731-5BR engines power the awker 00 , each o ering 4 660 pounds of thrust and using 217 gallons per hour ( ). The cabin volume for the awker 00 is 551 cubic feet.
PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-8 PAX
CABIN HEIGHT
1.8 M
The awker 900 retains many of the distinguishing features of the awker 50 such as the winglets, roline 21 avionics and cabin design. Its upgraded engines allow it to climb more e ciently and give it an increased range.
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1.75 M
MAXIMUM SPEED
820 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
870 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
3350 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
4600 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
2
FLIGHT DECK CREW
MID RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
3 MID RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
BOEING 737- 00
BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 300
The Boeing 737-500 is a twin-engined narrow-body airliner with the longest range among the 737 series. The wing is designed to enhance the aerodynamics, while the cabin of the aircraft has a height of 2.13 and width of 3.54 meters.
The Bombardier Challenger 300 started life as the Continental’ due to its ability to fly coast-to-coast in the A. A large cabin, lower direct operating costs, and its capacity for relatively short field performance also sets it apart.
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1-132 PAX 2.13 M
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1-8 PAX 1.85 M
MAXIMUM SPEED
796 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
850 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
4398 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
5500 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
8 MEDIUM RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
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1-8 PAX
FLIGHT DECK CREW
3 LONG RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 178
BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 601
GULFSTREAM GV
The jet of choice for governments, the armed forces and the rich and famous – more airliner than private jet – the Challenger 601 is economical and large among its class, particularly where it matters: in the cabin. The cabin is also well isolated from noise and vibration, and the plane has two engines and four back-up power systems.
The first ultra-long range private’ et that can fly nonstop from New Zealand to San Francisco or Cape Town to Beijing, the Gulfstream is an extremely reliable, high performance aircraft. In an exclusive and competitive class, the Gulfstream GV holds its own. It is ideal for anyone who needs to go cross-country or fly internationally quickly and reliably.
PASSENGER CAPACITY
PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-9 PAX
CABIN HEIGHT
1.8 M
CABIN HEIGHT
1.86 M
MAXIMUM SPEED
850 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
900 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
6200 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
6100 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
3
FLIGHT DECK CREW
LONG RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
3 LONG RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
BOMBARDIER GLOBAL 6000
DASSAULT FALCON 900E
The Global 6000 features the widest cabin, fastest internet connection, safe access to baggage, smoothest ride, and greatest reach – features all carefully designed to provide maximum comfort to its passengers. It is the most luxurious business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace.
Apply the latest aerodynamic technology and advanced avionics to an already ultra-e cient tri et, and you have an aircraft that will take you places its competitors cannot, like short runways and hot-and-high airports. You also gain range and e ciency.
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1-14 PAX 1.91 M
PASSENGER CAPACITY CABIN HEIGHT
1-14 PAX 1.88 M
MAXIMUM SPEED
900 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
830 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
6100 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
8150 KM
FLIGHT DECK CREW
3 LONG RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
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1-5 PAX
FLIGHT DECK CREW
3 LONG RANGE • MULTI-ENGINE ET
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 180
BELL 206 ET RANGER
BELL 206 LONG RANGER
The Bell 206 helicopter is a single engine turbine seating up to six passengers and is perfect for flying domestic distances in and around your region.
The Bell 206 Long Ranger is a light helicopter with greater capacity and utility than the Jet Ranger. It is powered by a single turbine engine and has a maximum cruise speed of 230 km/hr with a non-stop range of 690km. The Long Ranger seats up to 6 passengers.
PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-5 PAX
PASSENGER CAPACITY
MAXIMUM SPEED
200 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
230 KM/H
MAXIMUM RANGE
700 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
690 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE (TIME): FLIGHT DECK CREW
3 HRS 1
MAXIMUM RANGE (TIME): FLIGHT DECK CREW
HELICOPTERS • SINGLE-ENGINE TURBINE
The Bell 407 integrates reliability, speed, performance, and maneuverability, with a cabin configurable for an array of missions and payloads. Its Rolls Royce 250-C47B turbine FADEC engine delivers hot and high performance, with the ability to cruise at 140 knots (259 km/ hr). The 407’s spacious cabin seats up to five passengers in wide-open club passenger seating. For added passenger comfort, the Bell 407 also provides an exceptionally quiet and smooth ride in virtually all weather conditions. PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-6 PAX
MAXIMUM SPEED MAXIMUM RANGE MAXIMUM RANGE (TIME): FLIGHT DECK CREW
3 HRS 1
HELICOPTERS • SINGLE-ENGINE TURBINE
EUROCO TER EC120
BELL 407
The Eurocopter EC120 is a single engine turbine helicopter and seats up to six passengers. The design of the helicopters cabin makes it suitable for a wide variety of missions, such as utility transport and corporate transport. This is a popular charter helicopter owing to its versatility, range and speed.
PASSENGER CAPACITY
1-6 PAX
246 KM/H
MAXIMUM SPEED
611 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE
710 KM
MAXIMUM RANGE (TIME):
3.2 HRS
3.5 HRS 1
HELICOPTERS • SINGLE-ENGINE TURBINE
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1-6 PAX
FLIGHT DECK CREW
223 KM/H
1 HELICOPTERS • SINGLE-ENGINE TURBINE
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 182
BOEING 737-200 CARGO
BOEING 747-CARGO
The B737-200 Cargo is a twin-engine, short to medium range jet aircraft and has a max load of 15 tonnes.
The B747 is a 4-engine, long range jet aircraft and has a max load between 95 - 120 tonnes.
MAX LOAD (TONNES): CARGO HOLD (LXWXH CM):
15T 2100 X 310 X 220
USEABLE VOLUME (CUBIC M):
105
MAX LOAD (TONNES) CARGO HOLD (LXWXH CM)
95-120T 5050 X 486 X 304
USEABLE VOLUME (CUBIC M)
764
MAXIMUM LOAD RANGE
3439 KM
MAXIMUM LOAD RANGE
13180 KM
FERRY RANGE (KM):
4688 KM
FERRY RANGE (KM)
15540 KM
CRUISE SPEED (KM/H)
938 KM/H
CRUISE SPEED (KM/H):
905 KM/H
FLIGHT DECK CREW: PALLET POSITIONS (M):
2 7 MAIN DECK
FLIGHT DECK CREW
2
PALLET POSITIONS (M)
30 MAIN DECK
CARGO • TWIN-ENGINE
BEECHCRAFT 1900
ILYUSHIN IL76
Short to medium range twin-turboprop aircraft with a max load of 1,95 tonnes.
The IL76 is a 4-engine, medium to long range jet aircraft and has a max load of 45 tonnes.
MAX LOAD (TONNES): CARGO HOLD (LXWXH CM): USEABLE VOLUME (CUBIC M): MAXIMUM LOAD RANGE FERRY RANGE (KM): CRUISE SPEED (KM/H):
1.95T 10000 X 137 X 140 18
MAX LOAD (TONNES): CARGO HOLD (LXWXH CM): USEABLE VOLUME (CUBIC M):
45T 2000 X 346 X 340 180
1700 KM
MAXIMUM LOAD RANGE
3650 KM
2000 KM
FERRY RANGE (KM):
5000 KM
CRUISE SPEED (KM/H):
720 KM/H
460 KM/H
FLIGHT DECK CREW:
2
FLIGHT DECK CREW:
2
PALLET POSITIONS (M):
-
PALLET POSITIONS (M):
-
CARGO • TWIN-TURBOPROP
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CARGO • 4-ENGINE
CARGO • 4-ENGINE
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DESTINATION AVIATION | 15
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“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.” Jack Kerouac
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UNITED AVIATION GROUP: MAINTENANCE United Charter Services
offers fully comprehensive
maintenance is carried
has an unparalleled
maintenance services to
out in our state of the art
record of excellence in the
owners, operators, and
2 600m2 facility, designed
aviation industry in South
VIP clients.
to conform to the highest
Africa due in large part to
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of international safety
our commitment to safety,
Specialising in Business
standards, ensuring we get
reliability, and quality.
Jet and Turbo propeller
your aircraft in the sky as
aircraft maintenance,
quickly, safely, and cost-
Certified with the CAA of
our professional,
effectively as possible.
South Africa as an AMO
expert team of aircraft
(Approved Maintenance
maintenance engineers,
Organisation) and MRO
have considerable
(Maintenance Repair
experience gained from
Overhaul) organisation,
military service and the
United Charter Services
private sector. Aircraft
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“If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa.” John Hemingway
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UNITED AVIATION GROUP: UNITED FLIGHT SUPPORT Although your experience
at a tricky spot, securing
every detail of your trip
with United Aviation Group
overflight clearances that
requirements, from flight
is seamless and easy from
might prove difficult, or even
planning, fuel arrangement
the moment you start the
just ensuring that tickets to a
and ground handling, to our
booking process, and our
special event are waiting for
bespoke concierge services.
team of in-flight hosts and
us at our destination, United
United Flight Support
ground specialists ensure all
Flight Support’s breadth of
offer a true 24/7 service
the details of your flights are
services and depth of staff
and are on hand to ensure
taken care of so that you can
experience, underpins their
that all your trip planning
relax and enjoy the luxury
commitment to making your
is handled with the utmost
experience of flying with
flight support experience
care and efficiency.
United, sometimes we all
seamless and easy.
want to do something a little
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different. Whether that little
We have the expertise
something means landing
and ability to assist with
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“If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” Harry Cohn
Chateau Marmont: Where luxury meets Hollywood debauchery, and scandal and dark dirty secrets...
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CELEBRATION OF OWENAIR 75: UNITED AVIATION GROUP: OWENAIR Owenair, established in
ourselves on our steadfast
VVIP service, 24/7 flight
1946, is one of the oldest
reputation and long-
support, 5-star catering,
privately held air charter
standing relationships
privacy, comfort and
companies in South Africa,
with our many repeat
luxurious planes, direct
and it turns 75 this year!
customers. We have
routing, access to 10
perfected the art
times as many airports
Owenair is a world-wide
of executive air travel.
as commercial airlines,
aircraft charter, aircraft
Our experience allows us
executive in-flight
management and aircraft
to ensure your journey is
amenities, freedom
sales company under
a safe, happy, and stress-
from crowded terminals,
the banner of the United
free experience.
and private check-in by our staff in our
Aviation Group. Enjoy the comfort and At Owenair we pride
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exclusive lounges.
pleasure of executive
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KEY TO ADVENTURE | 224
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“It’s okay to get lost every once in a while, sometimes getting lost is how we find ourselves.” Robert Tew
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KEY TO ADVENTURE | 230
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UNITED AVIATION GROUP: CHARTER & SALES As a leading name in global
handling of your luggage
our United Aircraft Sales
aircraft charter United
and check-in for departure,
division have the expertise
Charter Services, a division
throughout your flight, and
to guide you through
of United Aviation Group,
on arrival at your
the complicated aircraft
offers flexible scheduling,
destination. Our luxurious
purchase and sale process,
and an unrivalled selection
lounges and aircraft, as
ensuring you get the right
of aircraft, culminating in
well as attention
aircraft to suit your needs at
a truly efficient, safe,
to your requirements and
the right price! Specialising
reliable, and luxurious
budget options, allow you
in turboprops, airline
charter solution.
to design your travel to
aircraft, airline business
your own specifications.
jets, piston aircraft and helicopters, United Aircraft
Every detail of your
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flight is taken care of by
Should aircraft ownership
Sales have unique access to
our knowledgeable and
be more suited to your
networks all over the world
professional charter team
taste than charter, then the
for the purchase or sale of
– from your booking to the
industry leading team at
your next aircraft.
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“Didn’t I tell you that this was a wonderful place?”
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UNITED AVIATION GROUP: CHARTER & SALES There is an elegance to travelling
keep you as relaxed or engaged as
with United Aviation Group,
you wish to be during your flight.
and you too can experience the glamour and indulgence of having
Your in-flight host will ensure your
every detail taken care of by your
comfort on our longer flights with
professional charter team.
luxury bedding and comforters so that you arrive at your destination
All aspects of your flight with
refreshed. Our team will design a
United Aviation Group are planned
customised menu with your dietary
with a meticulous eye for quality,
and taste preferences in mind, and
and this is no less true for our
luxury hand-picked amenity packs
onboard experience.
are specially selected for each guest.
In-flight entertainment is provided in the form of personalised devices with access to up-to-date content to
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KEY TO ADVENTURE | 252
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COVER
MODELS: Kinsey Golden, Cam McMillan & Graobe Noelle
PHOTOGRAPHER: Ingrid Alice Photography CLOTHING: Panaga, Shana Morland, Stefania Morland, Crystal Birch JEWELLERY: Beryl Dingemans Jewellery , Nebu Gold RETOUCHER: Kay van Niekerk CHEETAH: Zulu
THEO KGOSINKWE
PHOTOGRAPHER: Ingrid Alice Photography STYLIST: Karin Orzol MAKEUP: Tamzin Aldridge CLOTHING: AMEN Fashion RETOUCHER: Kay van Niekerk
RAINBOW NATION
CAPE TO CUBA
MODEL: Leighanne Martin PHOTOGRAPHER: Ingrid Alice Photography STYLIST: Karin Orzol
MODELS: Jade Hill-
HAIR & MAKEUP: Sam Scarborough
Nicolopoulos, Loren Jenneker,
CLOTHING: Biji La Maison, Vesselina Pentcheva Bunce
Shelbe Pretorius, Tshepiso
RETOUCHER: Galina Trush & Alex Sedova
Ralehlathe, Roxsanne Smith PHOTOGRAPHER: Ingrid Alice Photography STYLIST: Karin Orzol HAIR: Shakeela Dawood MAKEUP: Danit Gordon RETOUCHER: Galina Trush & Alex Sedova OTHER: Adrie Neuper at In Eden Design
WOMEN OF AFRICA
MODEL: Graobe Noelle PHOTOGRAPHER: Ingrid Alice Photography CLOTHING: Lunar Lifestyle HAIR & MAKEUP: Lindsey Swart RETOUCHER: Alex Sedova
CORTON CHARLEMAGNE MEET ME IN NAPLES
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Ingrid Alice Photography
PHOTOGRAPHER: Ingrid Alice
RETOUCHER:
Photography
Kay van Niekerk
ILLUSTRATIONS: Contributors (page 17), S(African) Mavericks (page 19), From Armstrong to Mindstrong (page 54), all by Candace Di Talamo
End - Credits.indd 2
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CREDITS 256
KEY TO ADVENTURE
PHOTOGRAPHER/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ingrid Alice Photography PRODUCTION: Purple Raindrop FASHION DIRECTOR / STYLIST: Ryan Hing HAIR & MAKEUP: Andrew St James, Raine Tauber, Merle Titus, Clanelle Burger, Keagan Cafun, Amy Clark ART DEPARTMENT: Jeanne Botes, Bird on a Wire MODELS: Chuma Uphokuhle, Kinsey Golden,Cam McMillan, Graobe Noelle, Loren Jenneker, Retsi Peege, Courtney Michael, Moe Allam, Chad Esau, Nontobeko Mbuyazi, Michaela van Zyl, Lisa Philander, Danelle Horn, Cassi Scheppel CLOTHING: Panaga, Shana Morland, Stefania Morland, Crystal Birch JEWELLERY: Beryl Dingemans Jewellery , Nebu Gold RETOUCHER: Galina Trush CHEETAH: Zulu FIREDANCER: Lulu
MODELS: Chuma Uphokuhle, Kinsey Golden, Graobe Noelle, Loren Jenneker, Oliver Rosslee, Blaine Hannie, Courtney Michaels, Henru Strampe, Michael Amm CLOTHING: Diesl, Issa Leo, Costume Hire, G-Star RAW CARS: Cape Corporate Tours RETOUCHER: Alex Sedova MODELS: Chuma Uphokuhle, Kinsey Golden, Graobe Noelle, Loren Jenneker, Moe Allam, Cassi Scheppel, Retsi Peege, Cam McMillan, Michaela van Zyl, Chad Esau, Nontobeko Mbuyazi, Lisa Philander, Danelle Horn CLOTHING: Merwe, Retro Brat, Vintage Style & Fashion JEWELLERY: Beryl Dingemans Jewellery RETOUCHER: Kay van Niekerk
MODELS: Chuma Uphokuhle, Kinsey Golden, Graobe Noelle, Loren Jenneker, Zoe Dolph MODELS: Chuma Uphokuhle, Kinsey Golden, Graobe Noelle, Loren Jenneker, Zoe Dolph, Jade Daniels, Geenah Philander, Cassi Scheppel, Danelle Horn, Lord Veezus, Winston Chong, Laura van Wyk CLOTHING: Wanida Boutique, Shana Morland, Stefania Morland, Jozeest RETOUCHER: Galina Trush MUSICIAN: Wesley Rustin
End - Credits.indd 3
CLOTHING: Wanida Boutique, Shana Morland, Stefania Morland, Crystal Birch RETOUCHER: Kay van Niekerk HORSE: Patch owned by Maryse Collins BIRDS provided by Animal Tails
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The difference is... We are
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UNITED CHARTER SERVICES Office 9, First floor, Main Terminal Building. Lanseria International Airport. 24/7: +27 83 270 8886 t: +27 11 788 0813 f: +27 11 507 6814 e: info@unitedcharter.co.za w: www.unitedcharter.co.za
UNITED FLIGHT SUPPORT (Fixed Base Operations) Office 3, Mezzanine level, Lanseria International Airport. 24/7: +27 76 813 7754 (Ops 24hrs) t:+27 87 351 8365 f:+27 11 507 6814 e: info@unitedflightsupport.com w: www.unitedflightsupport.com
UNITED AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE Hangar 6, Gate 5, Lanseria International Airport. t: +27 11 788 0813 w: www.uam.aero e: info@uam.aero
UNITED AIRCRAFT SALES Hangar 6, Gate 5, Lanseria International Airport. t: +27 11 788 0813 w: www.unitedaircraftsales.com e: info@unitedaircraftsales.com
OWENAIR Office 9, First floor, Main Terminal Building, Lanseria International Airport. 24/7: +27 83 270 8886 t: +27 11 788 0813 w: www.owenair.co.za e: info@owenair.co.za
UNITED MAVERICK t: +27 11 788 0813 e: info@unitedcharter.co.za w: www.unitedmaverick.co.za Owenair is a proud member of the United Charter Group of Companies
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UNITED CHARTER SERVICES We trust you enjoyed your flight, and look forward to many happy travels as your trusted charter company. Warm Regards
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