THIS IS THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA--
A PLACE THAT IGNITED
SOME OF HUMANITY’S MOST DEFINING MOMENTS.
FROM EARLY ANCESTORS LEAVING FOOTPRINTS IN THE EARTH...
TO THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY, TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE SURVIVE.
HERE ROLLING HILLS OFFER UNIMAGINABLE WEALTH...
AND SOARING HEIGHTS OFFER UNBROKEN VIEWS.
THIS IS WHERE GOLD SPARKED A RUSH TO RICHES...
THAT ALMOST TRAMPLED THE WEALTH OF WILDLIFE STANDING IN THE WAY.
WHERE ANIMALS EXPLOITED IN THE PAST
ARE NOW CELEBRATED AS PART OF THE FUTURE...
AND ONE MAN TRANSCENDED THE NATION’S LAST GREAT DIVIDE--
AND ELECTRIFIED THE WORLD.
HERE CONFLICTING WORLDS MERGE INTO A LAND OF REMARKABLE DRAMA.
THIS IS SOUTH AFRICA’S JOURNEY
FROM PRE-HUMAN SKELETONS TO MODERN SKYSCRAPERS.
♪
TWO BILLION YEARS AGO,
THE EARTH WENT THROUGH A VIOLENT GEOLOGICAL UPHEAVAL.
MOUNTAINS ROSE THAT STILL REMAIN.
THIS IS THE MAGALIESBERG RANGE,
ALMOST 100 TIMES OLDER THAN THE HIMALAYAS.
VENERABLE OLD PEAKS HAVE WITNESSED CONSTANT CHANGE
WITHIN ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC REGIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA--
THE INTERIOR.
AROUND THESE MOUNTAINS, LIFE SLOWLY TOOK HOLD.
VULTURES NOW ROOST IN THE CREVICES OF A CLIFF FACE,
WHERE COUNTLESS ANIMAL ANCESTORS HAVE LIVED OVER THE EONS.
SPECIES CONTINUED TO FLOURISH AND EVOLVE,
UNTIL HUMANS FINALLY ARRIVED ON THE SCENE--
A CRITICAL TIPPING POINT
THAT TRANSFORMED THE LANDSCAPE FOREVER.
♪
NOW ROADS CRISSCROSS THE LANDSCAPE
AND BRING PEOPLE TO A LIVING MUSEUM OF EVOLUTION.
THEY WAIT IN LINE TO TRY TO GRASP THE SCOPE
OF THE REGION’S LONG ARC OF HUMAN HISTORY.
THIS IS THE ENTRY POINT OF THE STERKFONTEIN CAVES,
PART OF A WORLD HERITAGE SITE
CALLED "THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND."
BELOW ARE CAVES THAT HAVE OFFERED A TROVE OF ARTIFACTS--
INCLUDING A COMPLETE SKULL--
REVEALING AN ANCIENT SPECIES OF HOMINID
THAT IS ONE OF HUMANITY’S COMMON ANCESTORS.
VISITORS DESCEND DEEP INTO THE EARTH
TO EXPERIENCE AN IMMERSIVE STORY OF THE HUMAN JOURNEY.
STANDING IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE ANCIENT LIFE BELOW
IS THE MODERN ARCHITECTURE ABOVE.
THE DESIGN OF THE TUMULUS BUILDING
TRIES TO BRIDGE THE OLD AND NEW.
FROM THE FRONT IT LOOKS LIKE A BURIAL MOUND.
BUT AROUND THE BACK, IT IS TRANSFORMED.
THE STYLE SIGNALS NOT THE END OF HISTORY,
BUT THE BEGINNING OF THE FUTURE.
THE LONG-BURIED EVIDENCE NOW ON DISPLAY HERE
CONFIRMS THE GROUNDBREAKING THEORY OF CHARLES DARWIN--
THAT HUMANITY ROSE FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.
THE SURROUNDING LAND STILL PRODUCES NEW DISCOVERIES.
THEY MAY SOLVE A MYSTERY, OR SPARK A NEW ONE.
AS SCIENCE SCRAMBLES FOR CLUES TO OUR ORIGIN,
RURAL COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA
RELY ON FAITH TO GUIDE THEM TO ENLIGHTENMENT.
THE LEMBA NATION OF ZIMBABWE WAS LED HERE BY A STAR IN THE SKY.
IT IS KNOWN AS ZION CITY--
IN MORIA TOWN-- LIMPOPO PROVINCE.
IT IS THE LARGEST
AFRICAN-FOUNDED CENTER OF WORSHIP
IN THE COUNTRY.
THE ZIONIST CHRISTIAN CHURCH WAS FORMED IN 1910
BY ENGENAS LEKGANYANE.
HIS LAST NAME MEANS "KEEPER OF THE STAR OF KNOWLEDGE."
HE CLAIMS GOD CALLED HIM
TO SEARCH FOR A STAR NEAR THE HOLY MOUNT ZION.
IT’S LIKELY HE WITNESSED A METEOR FALLING TO EARTH,
WHICH INSPIRED HIM TO FOUND HIS CHURCH
HERE IN MORIA TOWN IN 1944.
THE CHURCH FUSES AFRICAN TRADITIONS AND VALUES
WITH THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.
WHEN LEKGANYANE’S SON EDWARD
TOOK CONTROL OF THE CHURCH IN 1948,
HE INSTITUTED ANNUAL PILGRIMAGES.
THE FOLLOWERS GATHER HERE EVERY YEAR TO CELEBRATE EASTER
AND THE MEMORY OF A STAR THAT HAS GUIDED THEM
SINCE THE TIME OF THEIR ORIGIN AT GREAT ZIMBABWE.
MEMBERS COME FROM ALL OVER AFRICA.
THEY TRAVEL BY DONKEY CART, BICYCLE, BUS, AND ON FOOT.
NOW CLOSE TO 6 MILLION FOLLOWERS ATTEND THE 4,000 PARISHES,
WHERE PROUD CHURCH MEMBERS WEAR A SILVER FIVE-POINTED STAR
WITH A GREEN AND BLACK RIBBON.
THE IMPACT OF A METEORITE CAN HELP MOLD BELIEFS,
BUT OTHER METEOR STRIKES HERE
HAVE HELPED RESHAPE THE LANDSCAPE.
♪
TO THE NORTH IS ANOTHER SPECIES-RICH ENVIRONMENT--
THE SOUTPANSBERG MOUNTAINS.
IT IS NICKNAMED "THE PANTRY" FOR ITS ABUNDANT FOOD SOURCES.
VULTURES SOAR OVER A REGION RICH WITH LIFE.
♪
THIS ABUNDANT GARDEN WOULD HAVE PROVIDED A GREAT SOURCE OF FOOD
FOR EARLY MAN.
AN ACCIDENT OF INDUSTRY MIGHT PROVE IT.
IN THE 1920s,
MINERS WERE BLASTING AWAY ON THIS MOUNTAINSIDE
WHEN A CURIOUS MATH TEACHER IN SEARCH OF FOSSILS
DISCOVERED SHARDS OF BONE.
HE SENT THEM AWAY FOR VERIFICATION,
AND THEY WERE CONFIRMED AS AN ANCIENT HUMAN ANCESTOR.
IT TRIGGERED A FOSSIL RUSH--
THE SCIENTIFIC VERSION OF A GOLD RUSH.
OTHER DIG SITES DOT THE LANDSCAPE--
EACH REPRESENTING A SLOW, PAINSTAKING EFFORT
TO PIECE TOGETHER THE STORY OF LIFE.
HOWEVER, THIS STORY IS PUNCTUATED
WITH SUDDEN, VIOLENT, AND DEADLY INTERRUPTIONS.
220,000 YEARS AGO, A METEOR ROARED THROUGH THE SKY
AND SLAMMED INTO THE EARTH HERE
WITH THE IMPACT OF 100 ATOM BOMBS,
CREATING THE TSWAING CRATER.
WHILE IT OBLITERATED LIFE IN ALL DIRECTIONS,
IT NOW SUSTAINS LIFE AS A NATURAL RESERVOIR.
THERE ARE EVEN OLDER SCARS ON THE EARTH
THAT HAVE BECOME NATURAL MAGNETS FOR LIFE.
TODAY, SAFARI BALLOONS HOVER
OVER A 200-MILLION-YEAR-OLD VOLCANIC CRATER.
IT’S CALLED THE PILANESBERG, AND OVER THE EONS,
NATURE HAS RETURNED WITH A VIVACIOUS DISPLAY.
TOURISTS ARE HELD IN SUSPENSE OVER THE MAJESTIC AFRICAN PLAIN,
KNOWN AS THE BUSHVELD.
THE SILENT BALLOONS DRIFT LIKE VULTURES ON THE WING,
SCOURING THE LAND FOR ANIMALS.
UNSUSPECTING WILDLIFE ARE DIGITALLY SNAPPED UP
AND INSTANTLY UPLOADED TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE.
AFTER THEIR MORNING BALLOON SAFARI,
TOURISTS GET TO RELAX AT A RESORT
CALLED THE PALACE OF THE LOST CITY,
RIGHT OUTSIDE THE PARK’S BORDER.
IT WAS BUILT TO RESEMBLE AN ANCIENT AFRICAN PALACE
HIDDEN IN THE JUNGLE--
THOUGH ANCIENT AFRICAN PALACES
PROBABLY DIDN’T HAVE 18-HOLE GOLF COURSES.
ADAM SANDLER AND DREW BARRYMORE
SHOT THE ROMANTIC COMEDY "BLENDED" IN THE HOTEL.
ITS 5-STAR AMENITIES INCLUDE SWIMMING POOLS, A WATER PARK,
LUXURY SHOPPING, AND A CONFERENCE CENTER--
ALL OF IT NESTLED INSIDE AN ANCIENT VOLCANIC CRATER.
SOME CRATERS ARE NATURAL-- AND SOME ARE MANMADE.
THIS DRAMATIC HOLE IN THE GROUND IS REALLY A DIG FOR RICHES--
A DIAMOND MINE.
THE CULLINAN MINE IS THE MAIN SOURCE
OF THE WORLD’S BLUE DIAMONDS
AND OCCASIONALLY PRODUCES GLITTERY ROCKS
THE SIZE OF PING PONG BALLS.
IN 1905, ONE WAS FOUND THAT WAS THE SIZE OF A FIST.
IT WAS NICKNAMED "THE GREAT STAR OF AFRICA."
TODAY, THE TOWN BUMPS RIGHT UP AGAINST THE MINE.
JARACANDA TREES NEAR THE EDGE SHOW OFF THEIR PURPLE BLOOMS--
NOT AS SPARKLY AS A DIAMOND, BUT BEAUTIFUL IN THEIR OWN WAY.
THIS MANMADE CRATER AT PHALABORWA
IS MORE THAN A MILE WIDE, 1,500 FEET DEEP,
AND CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN FROM SPACE.
COPPER HAS BEEN MINED HERE SINCE AT LEAST 400 A.D.,
WHERE IT WAS SMELTED INTO 20-INCH-LONG INGOTS
TO USE AS MONEY.
NOW THESE MINES PRODUCE 60,000 TONS OF COPPER EVERY YEAR.
♪
MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA IS AN UNMISTAKABLE PRESENCE.
IT ALTERS THE LANDSCAPE, FUELS THE LOCAL ECONOMY,
AND SPARKS GLOBAL INNOVATION.
PLATINUM IS ANOTHER PRECIOUS METAL,
AND MOST OF IT IS MINED HERE AT RUSTENBURG.
90% OF THE WORLD’S SUPPLY STILL LIES BURIED IN THESE HILLS.
IT MAY LOOK LIKE DIRTY BUSINESS,
BUT PLATINUM IS A KEY INGREDIENT TO A GREENER FUTURE.
THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY USES IT FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTERS--
REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS FROM EVERY CAR.
PLATINUM IS ALSO REQUIRED TO MAKE HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS--
WHICH SOMEDAY MAY REPLACE THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.
SO THIS COULD BE ONE OF THE EPICENTERS
OF ENERGY’S HOPEFUL FUTURE--
CLEAN AND GREEN.
DIRTY ENERGY IS ALREADY PROVIDING RELICS TO REPURPOSE.
HERE IN ORLANDO SOWETO,
A DECOMMISSIONED COAL PLANT IS NOW AN ENTERTAINMENT CENTER--
INCLUDING THE WORLD’S FIRST BUNGEE JUMP
BETWEEN TWO COOLING TOWERS.
THE TOWER’S MURALS TOOK SIX MONTHS TO PAINT.
ONE IS A GIANT AD FOR A BANK,
BUT THE OTHER IS AN ORIGINAL DESIGN
DEPICTING THE CULTURAL ENERGY OF SOWETO.
THE ENERGY HERE HELPED TO ALTER THE COURSE
OF SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY.
NELSON MANDELA ONCE LIVED IN THIS CORNER HOUSE
ON VILAKAZI STREET.
HE WORKED IN SOWETO AS A LAWYER AND ACTIVIST
BEFORE BEING ARRESTED IN 1962.
WHEN HE WAS FINALLY RELEASED IN 1990,
HE WALKED THE STREETS OF SOWETO AS A HERO.
HE HELPED DISMANTLE APARTHEID, SHARED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE,
AND BECAME THE NATION’S FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT.
IN 1994, HE TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE
HERE AT THE UNION BUILDINGS IN PRETORIA--
THE SEAT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT.
TODAY, A BRONZE STATUE OF MANDELA IMMORTALIZES THE MOMENT.
HE WAS SURROUNDED BY THE LARGEST GATHERING OF WORLD LEADERS
SINCE JOHN F. KENNEDY’S FUNERAL.
IT WAS BROADCAST LIVE AROUND THE GLOBE--
AND VIEWED BY TWO BILLION PEOPLE.
AFTER HIS DEATH AT AGE 95, THE BIGGEST MEMORIAL EVENT
WAS HELD HERE AT FNB STADIUM IN JOHANNESBURG.
HE HAD PACKED THIS STADIUM 23 YEARS BEFORE,
WHEN 100,000 PEOPLE CAME TO HEAR
ONE OF HIS FIRST SPEECHES AS A FREE MAN.
NOW THEY CAME IN MOURNING...
BUT ALSO IN CELEBRATION.
FEW PEOPLE HAVE BENT THE ARC OF HISTORY
TOWARDS JUSTICE AND FREEDOM LIKE NELSON MANDELA.
BUT HE IS NOT THE ONLY MAN
TO SHAPE THE LANDSCAPE OF MODERN SOUTH AFRICA.
IN THE EARLY 1800s, THE INDIGENOUS ZULU TRIBE
CONTROLLED A GROWING EXPANSE OF TERRITORY--
LED BY THEIR AMBITIOUS KING, SHAKA ZULU.
THROUGH CUNNING STRATEGY AND BRUTAL WARFARE,
HE EXPANDED ZULU TERRITORY INTO A VAST KINGDOM.
IN THE WEST, HE WAS KNOWN AS THE "BLACK NAPOLEON."
HIS KINGDOM WAS FILLED WITH NATIVE ANIMALS.
BUT BETWEEN WARFARE AND UNCHECKED HUNTING
BY ZULUS AND WHITE OUTSIDERS,
GAME ANIMALS DWINDLED QUICKLY.
IN JUST 50 YEARS,
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS WERE KILLED.
ELEPHANTS WERE HUNTED FOR THEIR IVORY...
AND KIDNAPPED TO BECOME WORKING ANIMALS.
LIONS WERE DECIMATED,
MANY BY HUNTERS WHO VALUED THEIR TROPHY HEADS.
BOTH BLACK AND WHITE RHINOS WHERE THREATENED,
BUT THE WHITE RHINO WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY WIPED OUT.
BY 1890 THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 20 LEFT,
THE LAST REMAINING ON EARTH.
IN 1895 THIS DIRE LOSS OF WILDLIFE
LED TO THE CREATION OF THE FIRST GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA,
CALLED HLUHLUWE IMFOLOZI.
SOME SPECIES WERE SNATCHED BACK FROM THE JAWS OF EXTINCTION.
OTHERS WERE REINTRODUCED.
BUT THE WHITE RHINO STRUGGLED TO COME BACK.
BEGINNING IN THE 1950s, DR. IAN PLAYER,
BROTHER OF PRO GOLFER GARY PLAYER,
SPEARHEADED OPERATION RHINO--
A DESPERATE EFFORT TO SAVE THE SPECIES.
HE BRED RHINOS IN CAPTIVITY IN THIS PARK.
THEN WITH THE HELP OF MODERN TRANSPORTATION,
HE REINTRODUCED THEM BACK INTO THE WILD--
HERE AND AT OTHER RESERVES ACROSS AFRICA.
THANKS TO THEIR TIRELESS EFFORTS,
THERE ARE NOW AROUND 20,000 WHITE RHINO IN THE WORLD.
BUT THE THREAT REMAINS.
POACHERS EVADE PARK OFFICIALS
AND KILL, ON AVERAGE, THREE RHINOS PER DAY.
FEMALES CAN ONLY GIVE BIRTH TO NEW CALVES
EVERY THREE OR FOUR YEARS.
SO THE MATH DOES NOT FAVOR THE WHITE RHINO.
BETWEEN GLOBAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND LOCAL ENFORCEMENT,
THE WHITE RHINO’S SURVIVAL HANGS IN THE BALANCE.
THERE IS ANOTHER BALANCING ACT
PLAYING OUT IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN LANDSCAPE--
ENERGY.
MINING FOSSIL FUELS FEEDS THE ECONOMY
BUT SCARS THE ENVIRONMENT.
HERE, COAL IS THE DOMINANT ENERGY INDUSTRY.
DEPOSITS ARE SHALLOWER THAN MOST
AND REVEAL THEMSELVES IN THICK SEAMS,
MAKING IT CHEAPER TO MINE.
INEXPENSIVE COAL MAKES A VERY VALUABLE EXPORT,
AND THE RICHARDS BAY COAL TERMINAL
IS THE TRANSFER POINT.
THIS SITE PROVES THAT COAL IS NOT JUST BIG BUSINESS--
IT’S SIMPLY BIG.
THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST COAL TRANSFER FACILITIES
IN THE WORLD--
COVERING AN ENTIRE SQUARE MILE.
♪
NEARBY ARE TWO ALUMINUM SMELTING PLANTS,
WHICH USE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF COAL POWER
TO TURN RAW ORE INTO ALUMINUM.
COAL POWER PLANTS LIKE THESE
DOT THE LANDSCAPE ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA.
COAL FUELS OVER 75% OF SOUTH AFRICA’S ENERGY NEEDS.
THE COUNTRY ALSO DISTRIBUTES ELECTRICAL POWER
TO 14 AFRICAN COUNTRIES.
IT HAS HELPED TURN TOWNS INTO CITIES.
THE PORT CITY OF DURBAN WAS FOUNDED IN 1824.
IT IS RENOWNED FOR GREAT WEATHER,
WITH AN AVERAGE OF 320 DAYS OF SUNSHINE PER YEAR.
THEY CALL THIS STRETCH OF COAST "THE GOLDEN MILE,"
WHERE THE WARM OCEAN DELIVERS PERFECT WAVES YEAR ROUND.
THE LAND IT WAS BUILT UPON
WAS CEDED TO SEAFARERS BY KING SHAKA ZULU,
WHO HAD BEEN TRADING SKINS AND IVORY WITH THE NEWCOMERS.
PEOPLE ARE STILL COMING.
SURFERS, HOLIDAY MAKERS, AND BUSINESS TRAVELERS
MAKE DURBAN A COSMOPOLITAN HUB.
THE OCEAN IS A BIG DRAW.
BUT FOR THOSE TOO SKITTISH TO FROLIC IN THE SHALLOWS
WHERE SHARKS ARE KNOWN TO VISIT,
THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS NEARBY.
THIS IS USHAKA MARINE WORLD,
THE LARGEST OCEANIC WATER PARK IN AFRICA.
IT HOUSES SEA CREATURES RANGING FROM THE TINY TO THE TERRIFYING.
TOURISTS CAN EVEN DIVE WITH THE SHARKS--
BEHIND THE PROTECTION OF SHARK CAGES.
WHILE WATER ATTRACTS TOURISTS, IT ALSO ATTRACTS SHIPPING.
DURBAN BAY IS ONE OF THE FEW NATURAL HARBORS
IN THIS PART OF AFRICA.
IT GREW INTO THE LARGEST PORT ON THE ENTIRE CONTINENT
AND ONE OF THE TOP TEN BUSIEST IN THE WORLD.
BUT BEFORE ALL OF THIS,
THE HARBOR WAS ACTUALLY AN AIRPLANE RUNWAY.
IN THE 1940s,
THE FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND EUROPE
WERE MADE IN SEAPLANES,
AND THEY LANDED RIGHT HERE AFTER A GRUELING 20-STOP, 5-DAY TRIP.
TODAY, GIANT CARGO SHIPS DOMINATE THE HARBOR.
BUT NEARBY, THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR SMALLER BOATS.
BETWEEN BIG-PORT COMMERCE AND SMALL-BOAT RECREATION,
DURBAN HAS BECOME A REGIONAL POWERHOUSE,
WITH A SKYLINE TO MATCH.
A RECENT ADDITION TO THIS SKYLINE
IS MOSES MABHIDA STADIUM,
BUILT FOR THE 2010 WORLD CUP SOCCER TOURNAMENT,
THE FIRST ONE PLAYED ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT.
WHEN SOUTH AFRICA WON THE RIGHT TO HOST THE WORLD CUP,
THE RACE WAS ON TO BUILD AND UPGRADE OTHER STADIUMS
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
PETER MOKABA STADIUM IN POLOKWANE
WAS NAMED AFTER A LEADER IN THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
WHO SERVED IN PARLIAMENT AFTER THE FALL OF APARTHEID.
ORLANDO STADIUM IN SOWETO IS AN OLDER STRUCTURE
THAT WAS UPGRADED FOR THE CUP.
IT’S THE HOME TURF OF THE ORLANDO PIRATES,
A PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TEAM THAT IS THE PRIDE OF SOWETO.
ELLIS PARK IN JOHANNESBURG
IS KNOWN MORE FOR RUGBY THAN SOCCER.
IN 1995, THE RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL WAS PLAYED HERE
AND WON BY SOUTH AFRICA’S TEAM, CALLED THE SPRINGBOKS.
COMING JUST AFTER THE FALL OF APARTHEID,
IT WAS A MILESTONE MOMENT FOR A NEWLY UNIFIED COUNTRY.
MANY FIELDS HOST BOTH SOCCER AND RUGBY.
LOFTUS VERSVELT STADIUM IN PRETORIA
HOSTED WORLD CUP MATCHES,
BUT IS HOME FIELD OF THE BLUE BULLS,
A PROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION.
THE MBOMBELA STADIUM IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE GIRAFFE STADIUM.
THE GIANT SUPPORTS ARE SHAPED LIKE GIRAFFES,
AND THE BLACK AND WHITE SEATS LOOK LIKE ZEBRA SKIN.
WILDLIFE CONTINUES TO SHAPE THE IDENTITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
AND ATTRACT TOURISM.
BUT OUTSIDERS BEWARE--
SOME ANIMALS ARE WILD AND UNPREDICTABLE.
♪
THE PEOPLE ON THIS BOAT ARE LUCKY TO BE ON THE RIVER,
NOT IN IT.
ITS HIDDEN DANGERS ARE LEGENDARY.
THIS RESERVE IS NAMED
AFTER THE ZULU WORD FOR "MIRACLE AND WONDER"--
ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK.
IT IS THE LARGEST RIVER ESTUARY IN AFRICA--
AND HOME TO THE DEADLY NILE CROCODILE.
THIS SPECIES CAN GET UP TO 20 FEET LONG
AND WILL HIDE FOR HOURS IN THE BRACKISH WATER,
WAITING FOR AN AMBUSH.
THEY ARE NOT PICKY ABOUT WHAT THEY EAT.
BEING ON A SAFARI BOAT
IS THE SAFEST WAY TO SCAN THE PARK FOR LIFE.
ANOTHER ANIMAL IS A MORE COMMON SIGHT--
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
WHILE THEY LOOK CUTE, IT’S BEST TO SEE ONE FROM AFAR.
THEY ARE ONE OF AFRICA’S MOST DANGEROUS ANIMALS.
HIPPOS CAN RUN ALMOST 20 MILES AN HOUR
AND WEIGH AS MUCH AS AN SUV.
AROUND HERE, HIPPOS ARE KNOWN
FOR TAKING A NIGHTLY STROLL THROUGH TOWN.
IN 2012, A MAN LOST HIS LEG
AFTER HE WAS ATTACKED BY A HIPPO--
IN HIS OWN GARDEN.
LUCKILY, SOME OF THE PARK’S OTHER WILDLIFE
IS FAR SAFER TO VIEW--
AND BREATHTAKING TO BEHOLD.
♪
A FLOCK OF PELICANS CREATES A WAVE OF MOTION AND SOUND.
THEY SIGNAL THE TRUE WEALTH OF THE ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK.
THE PARK SUPPORTS 500 BIRD SPECIES,
INCLUDING FLAMINGO.
AT LEAST 48 AVIAN SPECIES CALL IT HOME--
IT’S THEIR BREEDING GROUND.
HERE MIGRATORY BIRDS STOCK UP
ON RICH SHRIMP AND MOLLUSKS ON THE MUDFLATS
BEFORE HEADING BACK OUT
ON WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE EAST COAST FLYWAY.
♪
THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARED THE PARK A WORLD HERITAGE SITE
IN 1999.
THE BIODIVERSITY HERE IS HARD TO MATCH.
♪
ICONIC LAND ANIMALS LIVE SIDE BY SIDE
WITH SEA CREATURES--
AND SOME OF THEM ARE QUITE A SURPRISE.
♪
THE COELACANTH WAS A PREHISTORIC LOBE-FINNED FISH
THAT SCIENTISTS THOUGHT WAS EXTINCT FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.
BUT IN 1938 A NET SNAGGED A FIVE-FOOT-LONG SPECIMEN.
IT WAS HAILED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT ZOOLOGICAL FIND
OF THE CENTURY.
IN THE YEAR 2000, DIVERS MANAGED TO PHOTOGRAPH ONE
WHILE DIVING HERE AT SODWANA BAY.
BUT OTHER FISH ARE A MORE COMMON SIGHT--
OVER 1,200 SPECIES SWIM AMID THE RICH CORAL BELOW.
♪
STRETCHING UP THE COAST FROM SODWANA BAY
ARE ANCIENT DUNES THAT DATE BACK 25,000 YEARS.
THEY FORM THE BACKBONE OF THIS DELICATE COASTAL HABITAT,
WHICH IS HOME TO ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING SWAMP FORESTS
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
THE AREA IS SO LUSH THAT THE CAPE VIDAL LIGHTHOUSE
IS PAINTED A BRIGHT ORANGE-YELLOW
TO HELP IT STAND OUT
AGAINST THE GREEN FOREST RESERVE BEHIND IT.
CENTURIES HAVE BROUGHT LITTLE CHANGE TO THIS FOREST.
IT PROVIDES HABITAT FOR THE SAMANGO MONKEY--
WHICH LIVES MOSTLY IN TREES AND IS RARELY SEEN.
A MORE COMMON SIGHT IS THE MISCHIEVOUS VERVET MONKEY--
WHICH IS GOOD AT SNEAKING UP
ON UNSUSPECTING CAMPERS RESTING IN THE SHADE--
AND STEALING THEIR LUNCH.
HERE, THE PRISTINE BEACH IS A NESTING SITE
FOR THE ENDANGERED LEATHERBACK TURTLE,
A PERFECT INCUBATOR FOR TURTLE EGGS.
THE BLACK COLOR IN THE SAND IS ILMENITE,
ONE OF THE NECESSARY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE TITANIUM.
THE DARK MINERAL KEEPS THE SAND WARM,
AND IT’S TEMPERATURE THAT DICTATES
WHETHER A TURTLE EGG WILL HATCH MALE OR FEMALE.
IF THE SAND REMAINS TOO COOL,
ALL THE HATCHLINGS WOULD BE MALE,
EFFECTIVELY DOOMING THE LOCAL POPULATION
OF THIS ENDANGERED SPECIES.
AS A RESULT, MINING HAS BEEN BANNED HERE.
LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE IS A MODERN CHALLENGE.
BUT HERE, INDIGENOUS TRIBES HAVE BEEN DOING IT
FOR OVER 700 YEARS--
NOW FROM SMALL TOWNS NESTLED IN THE GREEN.
♪
THIS IS KOSI BAY NATURE RESERVE.
IT’S A TROPICAL EDEN
OF COOL TURQUOISE WATER AND EMERALD GREEN MARSHLAND.
THERE ARE RAFFIA PALM TREES, MANGROVE SWAMPS,
AND SYCAMORE FIG FORESTS.
DESPITE ITS NAME, IT’S NOT REALLY A BAY.
IT’S FOUR LAKES THAT ARE LINKED BY SNAKING WATERWAYS.
THE RESERVE IS HOME TO OVER 250 BIRD SPECIES--
SOME AS COMMON AS THE FLAMINGO,
AND OTHERS AS RARE AS THE TRUMPETER HORNBILL,
WHOSE CALL SOUNDS LIKE A NEWBORN BABY
CRYING FOR ITS MOTHER.
THIS RESERVE PROTECTS MORE THAN ANIMALS--
IT PROTECTS A WAY OF LIFE.
THE INDIGENOUS TEMBE-THONGA PEOPLE
CONTINUE CENTURIES-OLD TRADITIONS ON THE WATER.
THESE ARE THONGA FISH TRAPS,
A CONCEPT THAT SURVIVES FROM THE STONE AGE.
AT HIGH TIDE, THE FISH WASH OVER THESE REEDS,
AND AS THE TIDE RECEDES, THEY ARE TRAPPED.
THE TRAPS ARE SHAPED TO HERD THE FISH INTO A SMALL AREA
SO THE TEMBE-THONGA CAN SPEAR THEM.
♪
THIS PRACTICE IS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE.
ONLY BIG FISH ARE TRAPPED AND KEPT FOR THE COOKFIRE,
WHILE SMALLER FINGERLINGS
DASH THROUGH THE GAPS IN THE REED WALLS.
FROM ABOVE, THE TRAPS LOOK LIKE A GIANT COLLECTION OF JEWELRY--
NECKLACES, HEART-SHAPED PENDANTS,
AND FRIENDSHIP RINGS.
BUT THEY HAVE A MORE LASTING VALUE FOR THE TEMBE-THONGA--
FOOD TO EAT, AND TRADITION TO KEEP.
THIS TRADITIONAL WAY OF LIFE HAS NOT BEEN EASY TO PRESERVE.
EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM OF THE LATE 1800s
TRIED TO DISPLACE THEM.
BUT THEY REMAINED RESOLUTE AND CONTINUE TO PROSPER,
NOW THAT THEIR VIEWS ON WILDLIFE SUSTAINABILITY
ARE BACK IN VOGUE.
THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE TEMBE PEOPLE
IS PRIME ELEPHANT HABITAT.
SO THEY HELPED CREATE AND MANAGE THE TEMBE ELEPHANT RESERVE,
WHICH SHARES CONSERVATION LAND
WITH MOZAMBIQUE.
THIS AREA USED TO BE CALLED THE IVORY ROUTE--
INFAMOUS FOR THE TRANSPORT AND TRADE OF ELEPHANT TUSKS.
SOME THINK THERE ARE STILL OLD CACHES OF HIDDEN IVORY
THAT NEVER MADE IT OUT.
WHILE THE TRADE IS NO LONGER LEGAL IN SOUTH AFRICA,
IVORY IS STILL IN DEMAND.
POACHERS ARE A CONSTANT THREAT.
IN JUST THE YEAR 2013,
OVER 20,000 AFRICAN ELEPHANTS FELL TO POACHERS.
IN THE LAST DECADE,
THEIR POPULATION HAS BEEN CUT IN HALF.
THE ELEPHANTS IN THIS RESERVE
ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST IN THE WORLD,
WHICH MAKES THEM A PRIME TARGET.
POACHERS SNEAK IN WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS,
AND ARMED TEMBE RANGERS TRY TO INTERCEPT THEM
BEFORE A GIANT FALLS.
THIS DEADLY WAR OFTEN PLAYS OUT IN THE DEEP AFRICAN DARKNESS.
OTHER PARKS FACE THE SAME THREAT--
EVEN THE BIGGEST, MOST FAMOUS PARK IN THE COUNTRY.
A STATUE OF FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT PAUL KRUGER
GREETS VISITORS AT THE GATE OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST RESERVE--
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.
THE PARK SPANS MORE THAN 7,523 SQUARE MILES
OF PRISTINE AFRICAN BUSHVELD.
LOCALS SIMPLY CALL IT "THE KRUGER."
IT IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST DIVERSE GAME RESERVES
AND A LEADER IN SPECIES PRESERVATION.
ANIMALS LIKE ELEPHANTS HAVE ROAMED HERE
LONG BEFORE PEOPLE CREATED A PARK.
AND BEFORE THEY WERE PROTECTED, THEY WERE WIDELY POACHED.
IN THE 1800s THERE WAS RAMPANT KILLING FOR SKINS AND IVORY.
PAUL KRUGER CONVINCED PARLIAMENT TO BEGIN PROTECTING THE AREA,
AND BY 1926 IT WAS DESIGNATED A NATIONAL PARK IN HIS NAME.
THE FIRST MOTORISTS ENTERED THE PARK
FOR A FEE OF ONLY ONE BRITISH POUND.
NOW, OVER 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE VISIT THE KRUGER EVERY YEAR.
BECAUSE IT IS SO VAST,
ONE CAN ONLY VISIT A SMALL PORTION AT A TIME.
BUFFALO GATHER AT THE SAND RIVER,
KNOWN AS ONE OF THE BEST GAME-VIEWING AREAS IN THE WORLD.
IT IS A PERENNIAL RIVER THAT CAN RUN DRY DURING WINTER MONTHS.
BUT DURING THE DRY SEASON,
ELEPHANTS USE THEIR TRUNKS TO DIG INTO THE RIVERBED,
LOOKING FOR WATER BELOW GROUND.
AFTER THE ELEPHANTS HAVE QUENCHED THEIR THIRST,
OTHER ANIMALS, LIKE WATERBUCK, ARE ATTRACTED TO THE WATERHOLES.
AND ALL THIS ATTRACTS TOURISTS.
THE SAND RIVER RUNS THROUGH A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
THAT BORDERS THE KRUGER, CALLED MALAMALA.
THIS LAND USED TO BE A HUNTING AREA,
BUT NOW THE PROTECTED ANIMALS ARE ONLY SHOT WITH CAMERAS.
THE LODGES WITHIN MALAMALA WERE PIONEERS
IN THE AFRICAN SAFARI INDUSTRY.
THERE ARE NO FENCES BETWEEN MALAMALA AND THE KRUGER.
IT’S ALL ONE ECOSYSTEM TO THE ANIMALS.
SPECIES CAN ROAM BETWEEN THE RESERVES,
AND THAT FREEDOM BENEFITS ELEPHANTS.
THEY OFTEN WALK SEVERAL MILES A DAY--
AND UP TO 50 IF FOOD AND WATER ARE SCARCE.
PEOPLE TRAVEL A LOT FURTHER THAN THAT
TO STAY AT THE TSHUKUDO LODGE, WHICH BORDERS THE KRUGER.
THE LODGE OFFERS AN OASIS OF COMFORT IN THE BUSH.
GUESTS OFTEN SPOT WILDLIFE AT A NEARBY WATERHOLE
WHILE SWIMMING IN THE POOL.
THE LODGE ISN’T JUST FOR PEOPLE.
IT IS RESPECTED WORLDWIDE FOR REHABILITATING ORPHANED ANIMALS
AND RELEASING THEM BACK INTO THE WILD.
BUT RIGHT NEARBY, THE LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY TAMED.
TZANEEN IS A FARMING REGION NEAR THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.
BEYOND ROW AFTER ROW OF CITRUS TREES,
THERE IS 8,000 SQUARE MILES OF CROPS
LIKE MANGOES, AVOCADOS, AND BANANAS.
RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE GLOBE
SERVE TOMATOES GROWN IN THIS REGION.
180,000 TONS OF THE TANGY SWEET FRUIT
ARE PLANTED, PICKED, AND PACKAGED FOR EXPORT.
FURTHER SOUTH, NEAR THE TOWN OF NELSPRUIT,
ONE FRUIT FARM HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
THE HALL’S FRUIT FARM
WAS FOUNDED IN THE 1850s BY HUGH HALL.
BY 1940 HALL BECAME WELL KNOWN
FOR OFFERING THE FIRST MAIL ORDER DELIVERY SERVICE
OF FRESH PRODUCE VIA THE RAILWAYS
TO HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA.
HALL’S CONTINUES TO DIVERSIFY ITS BUSINESS
AS ONE OF THE LARGEST FRUIT PRODUCERS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
FOLLOW THE COUNTRYSIDE FRUIT STANDS,
AND EVENTUALLY YOU’LL FIND NELSPRUIT,
A BLOSSOMING CITY THAT IS A HUB
FOR ALL OF THE NEARBY AGRICULTURE.
THERE ARE CANNING AND JUICING FACILITIES
TUCKED INTO THE CITYSCAPE.
BUT NELSPRUIT, AND ALL OF THIS REGIONAL AGRICULTURE,
RUNS UP AND DOWN THE WESTERN FLANK
OF KRUGER NATIONAL PARK.
HAVING THE WILD AND THE TAME SO CLOSE TOGETHER
IS AN UNPREDICTABLE MIX.
WILD ANIMALS OFTEN WREAK HAVOC ON CROPS AND LIVESTOCK.
MONKEYS CAN STEAL FRUIT, AND LIONS CAN KILL CATTLE.
SOME FARMERS USE CYANIDE TO POISON INVADING PREDATORS.
ONCE POISON IS IN THE FOOD CHAIN,
OTHER ANIMALS LIKE VULTURES PAY THE PRICE.
BUT THE TROUBLE FLOWS BOTH WAYS.
THE NATURAL WATERWAYS OF THE REGION FLOW EASTWARD--
FROM HUMAN SETTLEMENTS INTO THE KRUGER.
SO BY THE TIME WATER FLOWS INTO THE PARK,
IT’S OFTEN CONTAMINATED WITH AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES
AND EVEN HUMAN WASTE.
WATER IN SOUTH AFRICA IS AN EVER-CHANGING STORY.
BUT NEARBY, THERE’S A LANDSCAPE
THAT HASN’T CHANGED FOR MILLENNIA.
THIS HILLSIDE IS COVERED WITH NATURE’S LIVING FOSSILS.
THEY ARE CALLED CYCAD TREES.
SOME THINK THE TREE HAS BEEN AROUND
SINCE THE TIME OF THE DINOSAURS.
EACH ONE CAN LIVE UP TO 1,000 YEARS.
SOME OF THEM CAN GROW TO ALMOST 40 FEET.
THE SEED CONES ARE HUGE
AND UP TO TWO AND A HALF FEET LONG
AND WEIGHING UP TO 75 POUNDS.
THE MODJADJI CYCAD RESERVE
IS A WINDOW INTO THIS OVERSIZED, PREHISTORIC WONDERLAND.
ANOTHER ANCIENT SYSTEM-- THIS TIME, OF GOVERNMENT--
LIES TUCKED BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND MOZAMBIQUE--
THE TINY NATION OF SWAZILAND.
IT IS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING MONARCHIES IN AFRICA.
THE KING RULES WITH ABSOLUTE POWER,
THOUGH PEOPLE DO ELECT SOME MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.
SWAZILAND IS THE SMALLEST COUNTRY
IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE.
BUT IT PUNCHES WELL ABOVE ITS WEIGHT IN ECONOMIC OUTPUT,
THANKS TO THE WORLD’S STEADY DEMAND FOR SUGAR.
THE COUNTRY PRODUCES
ALMOST 750,000 TONS OF SUGAR CANE EVERY YEAR.
ONE REASON FOR THIS PRODIGIOUS OUTPUT
IS AN OBSCURE AMERICAN NAMED FRANK ZYBACH.
SUGAR CANE FARMERS USED TO RELY ON FLOOD IRRIGATION--
A PASSIVE AND INEFFICIENT WAY TO WATER CROPS.
IN 1949 ZYBACH INVENTED THE CENTER-PIVOT SPRINKLER SYSTEM.
PUMPED WATER POWERS A SINGLE SPOKE
THAT GOES AROUND IN CIRCLES AND IRRIGATES THE FIELD.
THE CROP CIRCLE WAS BORN.
THEY ARE NOW COMMON ALL OVER THE WORLD
AND CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE.
THE KINGDOM HAS BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL GROWING SUGAR CANE
THAT COCA-COLA IS A MAJOR CUSTOMER.
SWAZILAND IS NOW THE LARGEST EXPORTER OF COKE PRODUCTS
IN SOUTHEASTERN AFRICA.
BUT SUGAR ISN’T THE ONLY SOURCE OF WEALTH IN SWAZILAND.
IN 1884, A FRENCH PROSPECTOR NAMED WILLIAM PIGG
FOUND GOLD HERE IN SWAZILAND.
WITHIN A THREE-MILE RADIUS,
30 OTHER GOLD REEFS WERE UNCOVERED.
A GOLD RUSH WAS ON.
USUALLY, THAT MEANS TRAMPLING ANYTHING IN THE WAY.
BUT HERE, IT LEFT A MORE UNEXPECTED LEGACY.
THE PROSPECTORS NEEDED MORE TIMBER
TO MAKE STRUTS AND SUPPORTS FOR MINING TUNNELS.
SO THEY PLANTED ACRES OF TREES...
BLACK WATTLE, PINE, AND EUCALYPTUS.
THEY ARE NOW SOME OF THE LARGEST MAN-MADE FORESTS IN THE WORLD.
FOREIGNERS TOOK LARGE AMOUNTS OF GOLD
OUT OF THE COUNTRY
AND LEFT A SMALL FORTUNE OF TIMBER BEHIND.
BUT THE MINERS FACED ANOTHER CHALLENGE--
MOVING HEAVY ORE OVER THE MOUNTAINS FROM SWAZILAND
TO THE GOLD MARKET IN SOUTH AFRICA.
♪
THE PROMISE OF PROFITS DEMANDED A QUICK FIX.
SO THEY CONSTRUCTED A 12-MILE CABLEWAY ACROSS THE BORDER,
INTO THE SOUTH AFRICAN TOWN OF BARBERTON.
TODAY, REMNANTS OF THE CABLE LINE
STILL LOOM OVER THE TOWN.
BUT MANY PARTS HAVE BEEN POACHED FOR THE METAL.
HISTORY DECAYS WHILE THE FUTURE PUSHES ON.
TODAY, THE DRAW IS SCENERY.
PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER
TO TRAVEL A STUNNING PATH CALLED THE PANORAMA ROUTE.
PANORAMA IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
THE SWADINI BUTTRESS IS THE HIGHEST CLIFF OF THE CANYON--
SOME 3,200 FEET HIGH.
THE GRAND CANYON IN ARIZONA MAY BE THE LARGEST,
BUT THE BLYDE RIVER CANYON IS THE GREENEST.
AT SOME SPOTS IT’S ALMOST A MILE DEEP
AND A HALF A MILE WIDE.
SUBTROPICAL FOLIAGE PAINTS THE STEEP GORGES
AND WELCOMES WILDLIFE FROM ANTELOPE TO HIPPOS.
THE CANYON IS PART OF THE NORTHERN DRAKENSBERG ESCARPMENT,
WHERE GAPING RIPS IN THE EARTH APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE.
STEEP, FORESTED SLOPES AND CASCADING WATERFALLS
LINE THE SHARP, FOREBODING RIDGE-LINE.
ONE VIEWPOINT IS CALLED GOD’S WINDOW.
HERE MAJESTIC CLIFFS PLUNGE DOWN OVER 2,000 FEET.
HIKERS EXPLORE THE MOUNTAINTOP FOREST
AND ON A CLEAR DAY CAN SEE ALL THE WAY TO KRUGER PARK
FROM THESE CLIFF-SIDE VIEWPOINTS.
BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY VERTICAL ATTRACTION ALONG THE ESCARPMENT.
PINNACLE ROCK IS A HUNDRED-FOOT SPIRE
THAT APPEARS TO BE STANDING GUARD OVER THE VIEW.
THE LANDSCAPE WAS FORMED
WHEN ANTARCTICA BROKE FREE FROM AFRICA
200 MILLION YEARS AGO,
CAUSING THE BROKEN EDGE OF THE CONTINENT TO TILT UP.
♪
IT NOT ONLY CREATED STUNNING VIEWS--
IT ALSO REVEALED THE GOLD
THAT SPARKED THE FOREIGN STAMPEDE IN THE 1800s.
THE NAMES OF WATERFALLS
REFLECT THE NATIONS WHO CASHED IN AND THEN CHECKED OUT.
HERE, MAC-MAC FALLS IS NAMED AFTER SCOTTISH MINERS
WHO BLASTED AWAY ROCKS TO UNCOVER GOLD DEPOSITS.
LISBON FALLS, NAMED AFTER THE PORTUGUESE CAPITAL,
IS THE HIGHEST WATERFALL IN THE AREA,
PLUMMETING OVER 300 FEET.
WHEREVER THEY FOUND GOLD, NEARBY TOWNS BOOMED.
♪
THIS IS THE TINY TOWN OF LEYDSDORP.
IN THE MID-1880s IT WAS A COSMOPOLITAN TOWN
OF 3,000 MINERS AND OPPORTUNISTS FROM ALL OVER--
FROM KALGOORLIE TO THE KLONDIKE.
NO FEWER THAN EIGHT PUBS SLAKED THEIR THIRST.
CHARACTERS NAMED MICA BILL, PARAFFIN JOE, BRANDY SMITH,
AND THE HEAVENLY TWINS,
MINED CLAIMS CALLED THE OLD BIRTHDAY,
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, ANTELOPE, AND BLUE JACKET.
LEYDSDORP HAS SHRUNK BACK TO A POPULATION OF LESS THAN 10.
IT CALLS ITSELF "THE SMALL TOWN WITH A BIG CEMETERY."
MALARIA ACCOUNTED FOR MOST OF THE NAMES IN THIS GRAVEYARD.
LIONS AND BARROOM BRAWLS LAID THE REST TO REST.
BUT IN THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICA LIES A GOLD RUSH TOWN
THAT GREW OUT OF NOTHING AND KEPT RIGHT ON GROWING.
♪
ONCE ALL OF THIS WAS OPEN SAVANNAH,
UNTIL THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN 1884.
WITHIN 10 YEARS, THERE WERE 100,000 PEOPLE MINING NEW CLAIMS
ALL OVER THE BURGEONING TOWN.
THE NEW COMMUNITY QUICKLY NEEDED A NAME.
HISTORY IS UNCLEAR, BUT MANY THINK IT WAS NAMED
AFTER ONE OF THE MANY DUTCH MEN THAT RUSHED IN.
THEY NAMED IT JOHANNESBURG.
TODAY, IT IS WIDELY KNOWN AS SIMPLY "JOBURG."
IN JUST 100 YEARS,
IT BURST INTO THE BIGGEST CITY IN SOUTH AFRICA.
JOHANNESBURG SITS
ON TOP OF THE WORLD’S MOST PRODUCTIVE GOLD REEF.
ALL THIS MINERAL WEALTH CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAKING
OF AN EXTREMELY PROSPEROUS CITY--
PRODUCING 20% OF AFRICA’S ECONOMIC OUTPUT.
THE BOOM THAT GOLD BEGAN SIMPLY HASN’T STOPPED.
BUT THERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF BUMPS ALONG THE WAY.
THE TELKOM JOBURG TOWER IS THE TALLEST STRUCTURE IN AFRICA
AT 883 FEET.
SINCE 1971 IT HAS WITNESSED
THE RISE, FALL, AND RENEWAL OF DOWNTOWN JOBURG.
WHEN DOWNTOWN BECAME CHIC IN THE 1970s,
IT WAS EXCLUSIVE URBAN LIVING.
BUT IT WAS FOR WHITES ONLY.
APARTHEID LAWS SEGREGATED APARTMENTS IN THE CITY,
NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD.
BUT WHEN THE NATION WAS ON THE CUSP OF DEMOCRACY
IN THE EARLY ’90s, WHITES STARTED MOVING OUT OF DOWNTOWN.
THE CITY COUNCIL STOPPED MANAGING THE AREA.
ENTIRE BUILDINGS WERE ABANDONED,
AND CRIMINAL ELEMENTS STARTED TAKING CONTROL
IN BLOCK-BY-BLOCK ANARCHY.
ONE FAMOUS APARTMENT BUILDING CALLED THE PONTE
BECAME WHAT ONE NEWSPAPER CALLED
"THE TALLEST AND GRANDEST URBAN SLUM IN THE WORLD."
UNDER FULL DEMOCRACY,
THE NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE MADE THEIR WAY BACK--
ALLOWING DOWNTOWN TO SLOWLY RE-MAKE ITSELF
INTO A MIXED-RACE, MIXED-USE, VIBRANT CITY CENTER.
AS THE CITY EXPANDED,
SUBURBS BEGAN TAKING ON THEIR OWN IDENTITY.
THE SUBURB OF SANDTON IS THE MANHATTAN OF SOUTH AFRICA
AND AFRICA’S RICHEST SQUARE MILE.
IT IS THE HEADQUARTERS FOR THE WORLD’S BIGGEST MINING HOUSES
AND THE JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE.
BUT JOHANNESBURG HASN’T LEFT NATURE BEHIND.
IT IS KNOWN AS THE LARGEST MAN-MADE URBAN FOREST
IN THE WORLD.
THERE ARE OVER 10 MILLION TREES IN THE CITY.
NEW YORK CITY HAS ABOUT HALF AS MANY.
IN JOBURG, AS IN THE REST OF SOUTH AFRICA,
DYNAMIC TENSION MOVES EVERYTHING FORWARD.
URBAN AND RURAL...
WILD AND TAME...
BLACK AND WHITE.
THIS NATION CAN BALANCE IT ALL
AND PROPEL ITSELF INTO PLACES NO ONE EXPECTED...
BY EMBRACING THE SPIRIT OF UBUNTU...
A QUALITY THAT INCLUDES THE ESSENTIAL HUMAN VIRTUES
OF COMPASSION AND HUMANITY.
FROM THE CRADLE OF HUMANKIND...
TO THE CITY OF GOLD...
THESE VIRTUES ARE SHARED...
MOLDED GENTLY INTO ITS PEOPLE BY THE HANDS OF A GIANT.
NELSON MANDELA’S LEGACY IS UBUNTU BROUGHT TO LIFE.
♪