THERE are certain tourguides who, I believe, should rule the world.  They have taken lessons from the tours that they do and – incredibly – believe that if we took heed of history we would have much greater prospects.

This philosophy was nailed by Paul Kruger, who said that we should take the best of the past and use it to build the future; and by another old codger Winston Churchill, who said that the only thing we ever learned from history was that we learned nothing from history. But I digress.  What brought about this musing was the fact that recently I met a rather remarkable person with the remarkable name of Ray Rich, who runs a chauffeur service in Johannesburg but who is far from being a taxi driver.  I was on a business trip to Gauteng and Ray was the person who volunteered to meet me at the airport and convey me to my destination.  I was expecting a shapeless cab driver with a extra-large cardigan, scuffed trousers and a cap, and was therefore surprised and impressed to be met by a smart young man in a penguin suit.  I was even more surprised as we eased our way out the airport in light traffic to discover that Ray is also a registered tour guide, and has vast experience in taking visitors to Johannesburg all over the place. I was not a little fascinated to find out what the average visitor found to explore in Johannesburg – the city does have a compelling history, but little of it is visible.  The obvious parts of Johannesburg are the temples of wealth and progress, and the odd little scraps of history have been considerably overwhelmed.  Historic great houses are now hidden behind high walls (those that have not been turned into hotels or company headquarters), the landmarks fall into two categories:  those that have been moved into private hands for safekeeping, or those that haven’t and therefore have been stolen and melted for scrap. Johannesburg, for all its bravado, is not a place that hangs on to things out of sentiment.  And while that is part of its thrusting charm, it is also the reason why – if you leave the spacing of your visits at more than about three years – you will not recognize the place. Ray agreed with me, saying that people find Johannesburg interesting because of its role as a Gateway to Business.  So he presents a tour called ‘The Story of Gold’.  It is a story told more by pointing out places where things happened than showing the actual sites, as few of them still exist.  Some of the landmarks that – although changed – are still there, is the Constitution Hill, which started life as the Johannesburg Fort, became the Johannesburg Prison and is now the full-circled seat of the Constitutional Court.    MuseumAfrika is a huge drawcard, as is the Newtown Precinct; the Strydom Tower that broadcast the very first commercial radio transmission in the country; Ghandi Square. “We don’t have much history,” says Ray with a grin.  “I was taking a tour a while ago and pointing out our old buildings, and one of the guests – a businessman from the UK, said:  “My house is older than that.”  It put things in perspective.  So we don’t have much history.  But we do have a lot of stories.” One of the stories is the tale of Soweto:  a place that many visitors are eager to see.  “But it isn’t what they expect,” says Ray.  “They expect to see shacks, like they see on TV.  And so they are very surprised to see neat suburbs and shopping centres and parks.  There are some shacks, but Soweto is really getting its act together and is a city in its own right.  I would love to take some of the country’s leaders to Soweto to show them what people can do for themselves.” The attractions in Soweto, among others, are the Mandela house, which is currently getting an upgrade, the Hector Peterson memorial, Kliptown where the Freedom Charter was signed (and which is cast in concrete) , and a restaurant or two where visitors can eat township food. “What impresses them most is the street life,” says Ray.  “They like to see people getting along.  And I think the secret to Soweto is that the tourism players here must start to market Soweto – not as a tour, but as a destination.  It’s a wonderful place.” The type of tourist who explores Johannesburg is the type of person who wants the latest on current affairs and local issues, and this keeps Ray on his toes.  And when I asked what impresses visitors most – the buzz, the buildings, the rush, the sprawl?  - he replied most emphatically:  “Everyone who comes here comments on the friendliness.  I think that is South Africa’s most valuable export.  If only we could bottle it and sell it abroad – but in the meantime it is what visitors most appreciate about coming here.”