Sun City comes of age

SUN International's Sun City resort in the North West Province looked back on 21 years of being Africa's number one kingdom of pleasure this past weekend by inviting over 200 guests and media to celebrate its past and toast the future. Speaking at a lavish outdoor function held at the resort's boma on Friday evening, Sun City's director of operations, Steven Bagg, said that Sun City had a seven-year development plan which included the construction of 500 extra Vacation Club units; a third, world-class golf course and an exclusive bush lodge in the Pilanesberg Reserve. He also said the resort would develop into a highly technologically efficient unit in the next 21 years. " We are bound to maintain up-to-the-minute contact with our guests, giving them real-time information via the levels of technology they are used to in the first world countries from which they come. The challenge of this resort is that it is, in the truest sense, a city, and as such needs to be dynamic. Change is essential in order to maintain our edge." Bagg noted that the development of its surroundings to the same standard that are set at the resort would ensure Sun City's survival. "It is vital that Sun City should influence its surroundings both by example and through its corporate social investment. Its growth, limited within the confines of the resort itself, will depend on external development of a high order." Just as 'Bugsy' Malone started Las Vegas in the middle of nowhere in the Nevada desert with his Flamingo Hotel in the 50s, so Sol Kerzner had a similar vision when he flew over the Pilanesberg region 22 years ago and chose a site to build Sun City. Some important dates and interesting facts about Sun City include: * Sun City opened on December 7 1979 at a cost of R30m (keep in mind that at this time R0,85 bought you $1) * Sun City is encircled by the four concentric rings of an extinct volcanic crater, 150km in circumference. * The Entertainment Centre was inaugurated on July 24 1981 by Frank Sinatra. The same year saw the inaugural Million Dollar Golf challenge which was won by Johnny Miller. * The Cascades Hotel was built in 1984 at a cost of R50m * The Lost City opened in 1992, having taken only 28 months to complete. It cost R830m * The Vacation Club, a revolutionary timeshare concept, was launched in 1996 and was named RCI's Marketer of the Year, despite having been open for only six months. (Miguel de Sousa)