This cosmopolitan city has much to offer the businessman and tourist alike, with accommodation, a service industry and infrastructure comparable to any large city around the world. The history of Johannesburg dates to 1886 when gold was first discovered by the penniless prospector named George Harrison, together with his friend George Walker, who literally stumbled onto the Witwatersrand's reef, the world's richest natural treasure-house. Gold diggers and fortune hunters soon arrived in droves.

Tours available in Jo'burg offer a look into a bygone era with guided trips to Gold Reef City, an imaginative reconstruction of pioneer Johannesburg. There are also a large variety things to do and see in Johannesburg - museums, theatres, restaurants and world class shopping centres. Johannesburg is at the centre of the country's communications network and offers visitors immediate access to major tourist attractions.

The northern suburbs are known as the shopping Mecca, with malls such as Sandton City, Hyde Park and Rosebank, to mention a few, offering even the most avid of shoppers anything he or she may desire. The suburban nightspots are buzzing every night of the week. Not to be missed is Rockey Street, alive with street cafes, artists and musicians. Old Melville, the so-called artist's area, is abuzz day and night with its variety of restaurants. More recently the typical African shebeen has sprung up everywhere, giving the visitor a true taste of African nightlife and cuisine. The man-made Randburg Waterfront in the northern suburbs and Bruma Lake in the eastern suburbs offer city dwellers their very own "dockside" entertainment area with an endless range of restaurants, pubs and nightclubs.